IS: The Soldier and The Surfer
by Seiker Dragunov
Summary: After the Silver Gospel incident, upon Icihka and the girls return to the IS Academy, two new arrivals have showed up, both male: One a child soldier from America, and the other a laid back surfer from Australia. One is there on purpose, the other by accident. When two people like this collide, trouble is sure to follow.
1. Prologue 1

Infinite Stratos: Wings of Freedom and Strike Surger

**Disclaimer: I own ZIPPITY DO from IS. Only time it will be said so memorize it alright!?**

**Prologue 1: The Soldier**

"Bring up the live footage of Subject 00's latest run." One of many scientists with an American flag on his coat stated. The other's gathered around the one who spoke, their faces shadowed by the dimly lit room. The footage that began playing in front of them showed an active Infinite Stratos exoskeleton, colored pitch black with electric blue accents and secondary coloring. The armor was streamlined, fit for flight and speed, with two wings that seemed capable of separating on the back and two large shoulder pieces extending downwards, stopping a few feet above the ground. It was armed with two quantum beam rifles and a back skirt of sorts was formed from two rail cannons mounted on the waist and added stabilizers, and the pilot's face was mostly covered by a black visor and helmet that bore an angular crest.

But the odd part about this unit was that this IS' pilot was _male. _

"Units specs are optimal… systems running at maximum… Subjects synchrozation with IS Unit, designation _Midnight Hawk_, maximum. He's ready for the final test sir." Another scientist read data from a constant feed, the image reflecting on his glasses.

"Good. Subject 00, you may now initiate your final test run. Initiate in three… two… one…" the lead scientist counted down, and when the counter hit zero, the wings on the IS split into five sections, letting out a burst of blue flames as it took off into the open air.

Attack drones began pouring out of multiple tubes, but they were regarded with little more than a glance as the pilots visor began analyzing.

"Type 6 attack drones… high fire power but low defense… counter with burst fire." The pilot's voice was a monotone and made him sound about eighteen, though he was really only around fifteen. He dodged the fire from the drones with practiced ease, returning fire with his beam rifles and taking them out in a matter of seconds, each shot going clean through each drones center when he fired.

"Amazing! He took out twenty level six drones in under ten seconds! That's a new record!"

"Thank the HiMAT mode we installed into his IS' wings. But, he still hasn't had a chance to test his skills against another IS pilot, which is full of variables that we can't calculate here."

"Especially if they use a personal unit. The specs, weapons, and abilities will differ. It'll be a good test for the subject however. He'll actually have to get creative with his techniques and strategies. Fighting human enemies will definitely help us gather data on the_ Midnight Hawk_."

The scientists kept rattling on as the pilot continued the tests, accuracy, movement, and more, passing all with top marks.

"Now now, you egg heads aren't pushing the boy to much? We spent good money to make the perfect male pilot. You better not break him with your tests you hear me?"

"Huh? AGH! General! When did you arrive!?"

"Not long ago. How is 00 doing?" the general was a rough looking man, and his voice even matched his look, making him rather intimidating.

"As we expected. His skills are all top notch, and his scores are the best we've seen!"

"Good. I'd say he'd be a match for the IS Academy's Student Council President, which is all we need. Subject 00, your trials are finished, shut down your IS."

In response, the pilot landed and his IS vanished except for the visor. The teen was of a fair height for his age with a tan obviously gained from training outdoors, and messy, neck length black hair with white undertones, and a custom, navy blue IS pilot's suit tailored to his thin build. When the visor that was his IS' inactive form was moved up, they revealed eyes of the palest blue, almost like a crystal. His face was devoid of emotion, even his eyes were blank as he looked ahead.

"Did I do something wrong general?" 00 asked, taking a position of attention.

"No. In fact you did excellent 00, top notch. Your skills have come far since you began training. And since you're finally the right age you can be sent off to the IS Academy."

"But sir, since I already have the skills of an S Class IS pilot than why is there a need for me to attend the academy? I'm merely asking because I see no logic in this." 00 was curt with his words, but at the same time respectful to his superior.

"The eggheads want to collect more data for your IS, and they figure having you face real pilots at the Academy, specifically the other representative candidates, would be a good idea."

"I can see why that is. The other Representative students would all have personal units with variable weapons, abilities, and specs. Sorry to say, but I do agree with them. It would be an interesting challenge."

"Hmph, well, can't argue there. But, since you're going to be going to a public place outside of the base, you're going to need a name to go by. And we've chosen one appropriate to your character."

The general was handed some files, and 00 took them, opening them up, noticeably cocking an eyebrow a bit.

"Hmm? A new name sir?"

"Well we can't have you running around introducing yourself as 00. From this day forward, you'll be known as Aiden Freeborn."

"Understood sir. Is there any other things I should be told about?"

"Not much, other than you won't be the only new male pilot going to the IS Academy. There's another."

"Another sir?"

"Yes. You'll meet him when you get there. For now, return to your quarters and get packing."

The newly named Aiden nodded and left, flipping through the files he had been given.

**A/N**

**How much should I bet somebody is gonna call Aiden a Sue? If so, can I **_**PLEASE **_**ask you to friggin wait until I get the story going before you make accusations?**


	2. Prologue 2

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Prologue 2: The Surfer**

"Congratulations Travis!"

As the lights of the Australian home lit up, the popping noise of party firecrackers and confetti burst out, pelting the blonde at the door, the strands getting into his tied back sun-bleached blonde hair.

"Sheesh guys, warn me next time!"

Travis laughed as he pulled the strands out of his hair and pulled it back again, his blue eyes flashing with humor. For being sixteen, he was tall and rather well built, and he had the typical surfer tan, as well as being clad in board shorts and a tank top.

"But uh… what's the party for again?"

"Man you can be dumb Travis! It's for your acceptance to the IS Academy! Who knew that _you'd _be capable of piloting an IS of all things!"

One of Travis friends laughed as he said that, throwing an arm around his friend, who let out a gasp that signified he remembered.

"Oh that! Eh heh heh, well, I mean it was just an accident. You know I have a bad sense of direction… And besides I'm not gonna be the _only _guy there."

"Ah quit being modest man! You're gonna wind up in a school full of chicks! That's something to look forward to!"

"Ehehehe… c'mon guys quit making me feel embarrassed. Wait…"

Travis took a couple of sniffs and his eyes lit up.

"I smell meat!"

"Whoooa, hold up Shark bait! We still wanna hear about just _how _you wound up finding that IS anyway!"

"C'mon guys I'm hungry!"

"It's still cookin. Get to explaining!"

Travis sighed but eventually sat down with his friends, an annoyed look on his face.

"Okay, so here's how it came down. When I was trying to find my way to my sisters volleyball game the other day… I… got lost… again. So, I wound up finding a room with a restricted sign on it, and, being the curios bloke I am, I went in, only to find it empty except for a lone IS. And out of utter curiosity I touched it. I was all "one touch couldn't hurt." Little did I know what would happen next."

Travis was being rather extravagant with his movements as he explained, and his buddies were chuckling but otherwise listening.

"So, when I tried to move my hand off… BOOM! It was like I was stuck to it with super glue! Then the thing started to turn on, I panicked and yelled for help, and badabing, badaboom, next thing ya know they say I'm off to the IS Academy! Man those blokes in the black suits were pretty dead serious, I mean, is it that bigga deal when they find out some guy can pilot the thing? It's happened before."

"Man you are way to laidback."

"Of _course _it's serious dude! Only girls can pilot IS units! You're like the second man in history who can! Dude you're gonna be so firgging famous because of this!"

"Well it's certainly gonna put a dent in my plans to become a professional surfer that's for sure. But hey, at least I'll have a legal reason to get into fights… though fighting girls isn't exactly in my list of things I like…"

Travis scratched the back of his head with a sigh but then threw up his arms.

"But hey, whatever happens happens. I ain't gonna argue with it. If I have to go through a tournament like that and I have to go against a bunch of girls I'm not one to argue."

"Just don't underestimate them. Don't wanna piss any of them off."

"Oh I'm sure my good looks and sly voice can fix any situation if it comes to that."

"He still thinks he's a Casanova does he?"

"His ego's only gonna get a boost once he get's there."

All the gathered friends gave a collective nod as Travis snickered, not hearing the mutters, though they were all said in good humor.

"All right, I can still smell that meat and I'm starving! Get up off your arses mates because we're having a feast tonight! I'm heading out tomorrow so let's celebrate to the max!"

"ALRIGHT!"

**A/N**

**And I think Travis doesn't need much more of an intro… also, I'm gonna give pictures and the themes of Aiden and Travis. And to note, both of them look like Gundam protagonists. Ichiki looks like Shinn from SEED Destiny, so I'm following suit from that!**

**Looks:**

**Aiden:**

**Travis:  
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTl-Zha4GBG3Agk9vH9c17HP21hgY1eAf-KebEHE6yzgtUDgqjq8A**

**Themes:**

**Aiden:  
watch?v=am5kJimaSZI**

**Travis:  
watch?v=3aevyrmqbY0**

**Also, I am going to hold a vote for who you guys want Ichika, Aiden, and Travis to end up with, and ANY of the girls can be chosen.**


	3. Chapter 1

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Quick note: If the links did not work, then to put it simply, Aiden looks like Setsuna F. Seiei from Gundam 00 Season 1, and Travis looks like Asemu Asuno from Gundam AGE, and their character themes are INFINITY by Back ON for Aiden, and HERO by Flow for Travis.**

**Chapter 1: New arrivals**

"Ichika!"

Ichika turned around when he heard his name, and he spotted Houki trotting towards him.

"Oh Houki. How are you today?"

"I'm fine thank you. I wanted to tell you if you hand't heard about this: But we're getting two new transfer students today."

Ichika raised an eyebrow.

"Transfers? And just at the start of the next semester. Hmm… I wonder who they are."

"I don't know, but I heard they're both guys."

"Huh!? Both of them are guys!?"

Ichika stopped dead in the hallway, and Houki looked back at him.

"Supposedly. Ones from America and the other's Australian, or so I heard. I'm not too sure. We'll have to see."

"Phew. Well, if that is true than at least I'll have some guys to talk to."

Houki chuckled a bit at Ichika's relieved look as they entered the class and sat down and class began. Maya entered with her usual smile and brought the class to attention.

"Now class, before we begin I'd like to announce our two new arrivals! You two can come in now!"

Mutters went around the class as the door slid open and Travis came in first, a smirk on his face, followed by a stoic faced Aiden. Both boy's uniforms were rather modified as well. Travis wore his jacket open over a muscle shirt, and the sleeves were pulled up to his elbows, and other than that not much was different than Ichika's. Aiden's uniform was rather normal, if for the fact it looked even _more _like a military uniform with blue stripes instead of red, combat boots and all, and the only oddity was the red muffler scarf around his neck.

"Alright you two, could you please introduce yourselves?"

"Of course ma'am."

And when Travis spoke almost every girl in the class _swooned _at the accent his Japanese carried combined with his laid back tone.

"I'm Travis Jacobson, rookie surfer extraordinaire. Nice to meet all ya' beauts."

The added wink brought some of the girls near to a faint, and a notable eye roll came from the gang, though Ichika raised an eyebrow.

"Your turn mate."

"Don't call me that. I'm Aiden Freeborn representing America. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

And despite being so formal, Aiden's own introduction brought on yet another set of swoons and such, most likely due to the odd mystery many of the girls saw in his quiet tone and expressionless face.

"Man that bloke's got a deep voice."

A few stares were directed towards Aiden as he quietly sat down in a curt fashion, and Travis sat down casually, an arm resting on the desk as whispers started going around.

"Man that Travis looks so hot! You can see his muscles through his shirt!"

"Yeah but look at Aiden! He looks so cute with that face and his quiet voice! He's all mysterious!"

Travis snickered as he flicked his bangs, and Aiden simply looked forward, his chin resting on his folded hands, and Ichika was looking between the two with that same raised eyebrow.

"What is with these two?"

(Lunch)

Aiden stepped out of the classroom with a sigh.

"Finally, I got out of there. Yeesh, why the hell do I feel so awkward right now?"

Aiden rubbed his temples as he started making his way to the lunch room, and a sudden call of his name made him look back. When a _swarm _of girls came charging down, Aiden groaned.

"Why me?"

When the swarm converged, Aiden jumped off the wall until he could get clear.

"Aiiiideeeen!"

"On the first day? Really?"

Aiden ran until he managed to make it to the lunchroom, and he let out a small sigh. And much to the child soldiers surprise, his nose was bombarded with the scents of Japanese cuisine, and a slightly noticeable eye widening happened.

"What is that smell?"

"Yo! There you are Aids! Been looking for ya'!"

Travis trotted over with a wave, and Aiden seemed to pay no mind as he was investigating the scents as he entered the line.

"Wow, dude, you're acting like you're never smelled any sort of Asian food before."

"Haven't. Why does that smell so good?"

"You're kiddin' me right mate?"

Aiden simply shook his head as he took a tray of food and found an empty table, and Travis sat across from the other boy as he stared at his food with that same blank look, though he had a slight downward quirk in his lip, especially with the chopsticks.

"Uhm, you alright Aids?"

"Um… Jacobson…"

"Yep?"

Travis stuck a piece of sushi in his mouth, and Aiden picked up the chopsticks.

"How in the hell do I use these things?"

Travis spat a bit, keeping his food in his mouth thankfully, but he had a serious WTF face.

"Dude, you are shittin me right? You seriously don't know how to use chopsticks?"

"No. All I ever ate before moving here was MRE's and military food… chopsticks weren't really a priority to learn to use."

Aiden was rather blunt with this, his expression unchaning, and Travis hung his head.

"Man you are one weird dude. Where in the hell did you grow up mate?"

"That's classified information."

"Say what?"

"I can't tell you anything. Only the school board knows due to… reasons…"

"Well, you do have that sort of uptight digger vibe."

"Digger?"

"Soldier, military man! It's a slang term we Aussie's use for blokes like you. I'm gonna have to educate you on the way I talk mate, or else we aren't _ever _gonna be able to hold a normal conversation."

Azrael sighed again as he stabbed some of his food with the busted chop sticks he had.

"Who ever said I was gonna… eh?"

"Dude… did you just eat a whole chunk of wasabi on that sushi and _not _kill your tongue!?"

Travis' eyes had widened to ridiculous points as Azrael examined the left over bits of light green on the chopsticks.

"That's what that kick was? Hmm, kind of like a raw ghost pepper, just, not as spicy."

"You've eaten a _raw _gost pepper!? What is your stomach made of, iron!? And how did you not kill your taste buds?"

"Survival training. You eat what you can get no matter what it is. South America is not a nice place in the wild."

Aiden said this in a way that may have, Travis sure as hell couldn't tell with the monotone, that it seemed regular to him.

"Dude… you are screwed up… that, or you're just _really _weird."

"I… don't see your point."

Travis hung his head.

"Man this is gonna be interesting semester."

'_This _is who the general said would be the other male IS pilot? Things are going to be eventful…'

(Dorms)

"Three escape runs in a day. Is this going to be a regular thing? Does this happen anywhere else?"

Aiden had too many questions in his head as he went to look for his room.

"Number 1024… which should be right here."

Aiden opened the door and stepped into the empty room. He threw his duffel bag on the bed nearest the window, and out of a trained in habit, scanned the room for anything. Call it acquired paranoia, but he wasn't really comfortable unless he was sure nothing was planted in the room. After making the last check in the bathroom, which much to his ire did not have a toilet, meaning he'd have to be careful when he went to the bathrooms down the hall.

"Well, this is appropriate at best… though I'm not used to a bed so soft…"

Aiden was poking the mattress now. He was used to the hard, thin mattresses from his military barracks, being able to feel the metal bedframe under his back. Yeah he'd been a top priority individual but he had the same accommodations as any other soldier, be they IS Pilot or basic military personnel. A knock on the door made Aiden jump, and he slipped one of his hidden combat knifes out of his left sleeve into his hand.

"Uhm… could a met get some help? I'm kinda lost…"

"Travis?"

Aiden stored the knife and opened the door.

"Oh Aiden! Uhm, could I get some help finding my room? I got lost and kinda lost my bearings as to where I was."

"What's the number?"

"1024."

Aiden blinked. What? So not only would he have to put up with this guy in classes, now he'd be sharing a room with him? It made sense… but couldn't they have stuck him with Ichika instead? He seemed a bit more tolerant of people like Travis.

"Did you look at the room numbers around? And did you even look at the map they gave you?"

"Eh heh, I'm not good with directions, it's why I wasn't allowed to drive back out in the Bush… everyone knew I'd get lost."

"The Bush?"

"The Outback mate! Yeesh."

"I don't use slang terms. And this is room 1024."

"Oh sweet! So we'll be bunking together from here on out eh? I can dig that."

Aiden sighed again, shaking his head again as Travis walked in and flopped down on the closer bed with a laugh.

"Hahahaa, man this is comfy! Then again this is normally an all-girls school so of course it is."

"You, are going to be the death of me."

I chika opened his door when he heard the commotion, and chuckled.

"Ah Aiden nice to see you. SO you're bunking in the room next to mine huh? Well, nice to meet you neighbor!"

"Oh, you're Ichika Orimura correct? Chifuyu Orimura's younger brother?"

"Ah, yeah. But don't let my sis hear you calling her Chifuyu unless you wanna get hit… she's kinda rigid here on campus."

"Hmph, when she squares up with my old drill sergeant _then _I'll be impressed."

"Drill sergeant?"

"Private matter."

"O-kay…"

Aiden went back to his bed and started unpacking, and Travis jumped up.

"Hey there Ichika! What brings you here?"

"Well, I heard a commotion since I'm next door and…"

"Oh you're next door? Haha, that's cool! Guess we'll all have to do something for us guys eh? I mean, we are the only males in the school, so who knows what'll happen from here on out!"

"Eh… yeah…"

'Okay, Travis is just odd, but then again, so are a lot of people I know, and Aiden… I… can't get a read on him, it's like he doesn't really _have _a personality… he just seems… disconnected. Eh whatever! AT least I'm not alone anymore.'

"Well, it's certainly nice to meet you guys. I hope we can get along."

"Same here buddy!"

"Whatever. Not like it matters to me."

Ichika and Travis looked back at Aiden with odd looks.

"He's gonna be a pain in the ass isn't he Ihcika?"

"We'll have to see… who knows he might not be that bad?"

"I can still hear you talking you know. In fact I'd probably be able to hear you idiots whispering down the hall you're so loud."

"Yep… things are definitely going to be interesting with these two around."

Ichika rubbed the back of his head as Travis started… arguing, he guessed, with Aiden, who was giving completely deadpan responses without so much as quirking an eyebrow.

"Hagh, man, can't you at least show a bit of emotion? Seriously, it's weird taking to you when all you do is deadpan!"

"Emotions get in the way of making logical choices. And as such, I do not rely on them. If I were to make an irrational decision in combat it could very well be my last decision."

"What!? This isn't war! We're at an academy were we use IS' for sport!"

"But you still need to be able to make the proper combat decisions even _if _it's just a sport. True nobody really gets hurt in those tournaments, at least not by much, but it's still combat. IS units are fundamentally weapons, and as such, I will treat it as a weapon and not a piece of sports equipment. Always treat a pistol like it's loaded even when it is not."

"Ichika… am I the only one who thinks that there is something very wrong with him?"

"I'm with you on this one Travis…"

"I have many things I could list as oddities with you Travis. Such as the amount of slang you use in your speech. It's a little stereotyped."

"Oh that… um… well… I don't normally talk with _that _much slang terms…"

"Oh so you're doing it to sound cool to the girls I presume? I mean they were practically fainting at every word that came out of your mouth."

"Ugh… man you caught me."

Aiden rolled his eyes with another sigh, and Ichika could only chuckle at the sight of what was going on.

**A/N**

**Yep, Travis uses large amounts of slang on purpose… and Aiden's child soldier attitude is already kicking in yeesh.**

**Current votes for pairs:**

**Ichika**

**Houki: 1**

**Other Girls: 0**

**Aiden**

** Laura: 1**

** Other Girls: 0**

**Travis**

** Charlotte: 1**

** Other Girls: 0**

**Others can be suggested folks. This starts from IS 2 so Tatenashi and Kanzashi can be used as well. I'm gonna make a poll for each of three guys so look out for those on my profile.**


	4. Chapter 2

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chapter 2: A duel**

Within the class, Maya was teaching a lesson as usual, and everyone was listening intently… well… Ichika looked confused, and Travis was sleeping.

"Now, can anyone tell me what you do in a hypothetical situation where you're opponent has more firepower than you? Now, there's no wrong answers for this sicne it's hypothetical."

The first hand to go up was Aiden's.

"Aiden."

Aiden put his hands on his desk and stood up curtly.

"In a situation in which you're outgunned by your opponent, the best thing to do would be to make use of the time lag between shots. High output weapons such as particle busters have a lag between their shots, so your best option it to wait until they're charging and rush in close to deal a blow to take out their shields. Or, if you're a ranged fighter, use a basic evasive technique until you see an opening to fire at your enemy. A few well-placed shots from a sniper can beat heavy weapons any day."

The room awed at the explanation Aiden just gave. He was talking like he'd been piloting for years (which he had), and to quite a few this was a shock.

"Now hold on for just a minute!"

"Hmm?"

Cecilia stood up and pointed a finger at Aiden.

"How is it a boy could possibly know that much about IS maneuvers and tactics to be able to create a situation like that?"

"I don't see your reasoning Ms. Alcott."

"What I'm saying is: How do you know so much. Males normally cannot pilot an IS, so how in the world could you be so well versed in them?"

"Cecilia…"

"It's alright ma'am… I can handle this."

Maya was surprised by Aiden's calm tone. After all, he had just been yelled at pretty harshly.

"For one Ms. Alcott, I've been studying and piloting my IS for quite a few years, and I dare say I have enough experience and knowledge to rank among the best in this academy. My point is, one's gender does not have to rule what they are knowledgeable of or skilled in."

"You said 'my IS'. What do you mean by that? You can't possibly have a personal unit!"

"What do you think this visor on my head is? It's not an accessory I wear for fun… besides, that's against regulation anyway."

"What are you talking about "regulation"? And how in the world..."

"Classified information Ms. Alcott. If you'd like, I could give the entire class a demonstration… with the permission of Ms. Orimura, of course."

The whole class followed Aiden's line of sight to spot Chifuyu at the door, a smirk on her face.

"So, is that confidence or bravado talking, Freeborn?"

"Neither ma'am. I'm merely stating facts… and besides, things like that get in the way of making rational decisions when you need to, so, I make sure I don't get that way."

"Is that why he's so emotionless?"

"I think it's kinda hot."

Chifuyu chuckled a bit.

"Alright, how about we make it a duel to settle your and Miss Alcott's little argument then? We'll get to see what that IS of yours is capable of, and she can see your informed skills first hand."

"Alright then.

"Hmph, then I'll put him in his place!"

Aiden nodded, and Chifuyu walked over to him and whispered.

"Don't go overboard. I read those files on you. Remember, this is a human you're fighting, not a drone."

"Hmph, I'm not so stupid as to forget that ma'am. I still remember what you drilled me on back then."

"Good. Alright, all of you get back to work!"

Everyone quickly got back to doing what they were before at a rapid pace, and Aiden quite literally smacked Travis awake.

**Lunch**

"You're seriously going through with this Cecilia?"

The usual gang was gathered around a table, and Cecilia nodded.

"That arrogant American needs to be put in his place! Talking to me like that, who does he think he is!?"

"He's is not to be underestimated Cecilia."

Everyone was surprised when Laura spoke up.

"I am simply stating this since I can read him somewhat. If you pay attention to his curt nature you would find he acts a lot like a soldier. And since I come from a similar background I can relate a bit."

Chalotte put a hand on her chin at that.

"That would explain the way he wears his uniform. But, it still doesn't make sense as to why he's so emotionless…"

Everyone nodded and let out a collective sound of thought as they looked over at Aiden, who was ignoring Travis as the other boy rattled off in English while he silently ate, and since Cecilia could obviously understand them, being the only one at the table who spoke English, she seemed a little annoyed.

"Well, considering who his roommate is he would have to be to deal with that ungodly amount of slang. I swear, it's so odd how Travis acts."

"He does that on purose ya' know? Most of the other people here don't seem to mind."

Ichika made that observation based on the now well-known fact Travis was a bit of a casanova… and boy was his ego being fed.

"Well… I think he's kind of charming. I heard some of his stories, and they are rather interesting."

"How do you know he's not just making them up Charlotte? He could be lying."

"Well, I'm not the kind of person who lies. By the way… uh… I keep hearing about this little "duel" that's gonna happen in a couple days… what's with that?"

"It occurred while you were sleeping in class Mr. Jacobson. Ms. Alcott and I had a bit of an argument, and so we decided to settle it with a duel."

"Wait… you don't have an IS…"

"What do you think this visor is?"

"Oh… Well now that's awesome mate!"

"Please… I don't think it's such a big deal…"

Laura was glaring at Aiden with contempt, and the boy simply stared back with that same blank expression.

"Bodewig…"

"Freeborn…"

Ichika shuddered a bit as the tension in the air grew, but, thankfully, it dissipated when Aiden left.

"Man what was with that… Laura, do you two know each other?"

"You could say that… when I said not to underestimate him… well, I've met him a previous time and have seen what he is capable of… at least, so far. I have no idea how he'd fight against an actual enemy. But, I can say this, he's indeed a force to be reckoned with."

Everyone looked shocked… except for Travis… who didn't really get it.

"Huh? So what, he's some kinda super soldier?"

"Hagh…. You'll see what I mean during the duel… just watch yourself Cecilia…"

"Hmph… he doesn't seem to amount to much. I bet he was bluffing."

Ichika just sighed, and Travis scratched his head.

"Man you people can be odd…"

**A few days later/ Arena**

Aiden and Cecilia were standing in the middle of the arena with their IS' inactive, and Aiden was fitting on a pair of fingerless gloves.

"I hope you're ready to be taught a lesson Aiden. It's one you won't forget. I'm England's representative candidate for a reason!"

"Hmph. That doesn't matter much to me. And, if anything, I doubt you'll take me down easily… that confidence is going to pull you down."

Cecilia huffed again, and the buzzer for the start of the match went off. Aiden pulled down his visor, and with a quick thought, the Midnigth Swallow was deployed immediately as Cecilia deployed her Blue Tears, and the students awed at the midnight black IS Aiden had.

"Hmm… Blue Tears… sniper type IS with a particle rifle and four attacks drones… basic retaliation method."

Aiden opened up his hands and his particle blasters appeared.

"Switch to rapid fire mode."

The two took off, Cecilia opening fire immediately. Aiden rolled around the shot easily, and opened fire with both his rifles, the spray of beams going wide.

"Ha, you'll never hit me with attacks like that!"

Cecilia moved through the storm fluidly, and Aiden's eyes followed her movements.

"Locked on."

Aiden took aim again, this time pacing himself and moving ahead of Cecilia from the side before firing, leading, and soon the beams slammed her repeatedly before he zoomed off.

"Whoa!"

"How in the world did he do that!?"

"He read Cecilia's movements and so, he led his target. It's a simple strategy. When against a moving target you lead your shot if you want to hit them."

Everyone looked over towards Laura, who crossed her arms.

"Tch… that was a lucky shot you got in there… but you won't have that same luck again!"

Cecili launched her drones, and Aiden simply followed with his eyes.

"Engage HiMAT mode."

His IS' wings opened up and engaged the thrusters, and Aiden streaked off, moving faster than most of the others could track, taking out all four drones in the process.

"Man, what in the world did he do?"

Cecilia pulled back and fired her rifle again, and the shot was simply dodged.

"What in the world kind of IS is that!?"

"That's classified."

Cecilia's eyes widened and she spotted an IS combat knife with the dull edge at her throat, and Aiden had gotten behind her, and one of his rifles was pressing into her back.

"How did you…"

"I believe that's the match."

The two lowered to the ground slowly, and when they touched down, there is' disengaged, and Aiden lifted up the visor.

"Well, I think my points been proven. Just because I'm a male doesn't mean I'm incompetent, remember that Ms. Alcott."

Aiden turned and left silently, and the others ran over to Cecilia.

"Hey are you alright?"

"Y-yes… I'm fine… but… what was with the way he fought?"

Travis suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Well, the guy did mention that since an IS is fundamentally a weapon, that he's going to treat it like one… something about an unloaded pistol… and… hmm…"

"Well, he's not incorrect.

"Ms. Orimura!?"

Everyone freaked a bit when Chifuyu showed up.

"Uh… Ms. Orimura… is there any reason Aiden acts the way he does?"

Chifuyu looked towards Houki at that, and gaze briefly moved over Laura.

"To put it simply since I can't say much, Aiden was trained by a military branch in America to be an IS pilot… the thing is, he knows nothing else but the life of a soldier. And so, he treats everything like he's still a real soldier… which is why I want you guys to loosen up around him. He doesn't know any better."

All the others stood in surprise, all except for Laura, who knew fully well what that was like, though, Aiden seemed to be on the more extreme side of it than she was.

**A/N**

**Well, current votes are:**

**Aiden x Laura: 3**

**Ichika x Houki: 2**

**Travis x Charl: 2**

**Ichika x Rin: 1**


	5. Chapter 3

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chapter 3: A New IS**

**Aiden and Travis' Room**

"Uh… Aiden…"

Aiden looked up from the book he was reading, a rather thick military documentary, his eyes moving to a distressed looking Travis at the desk.

"What?"

"Um… can I get help with this? I don't understand any of it…"

Aiden sighed and stuck a bookmark into his page, closing the book with a loud _thump. _Travis handed him the IS textbook, and Aiden scanned it quickly.

"This is all simple. How are you having a hard time with it?"

"Shut up will ya!? It ain't my fault I didn't grow up in a freakin military institute of something where that was a day to day thing!"

"Calm down, yeesh. For one, your answers on a few of these questions are… wow… you were sleeping in class again weren't you?"

"Yes…"

Travis hung his head, and Aiden sighed again.

"Well, if you _had _an IS this would make my job easier… but you do not, which means I can't actually teach you _how _to do this,"

"How could you when your own IS a freaking _monster? _I swear, in every sparring match you win in like, ten seconds."

"My record for quickest match is actually about seven point ninety five seconds. But then again that was against training drones. Against another IS user it's about one minute."

Travis just slammed his head on the desk, and it was hard enough that it shook the room.

"Dude, what is with you? You're like, way to good at this shit. I swear, you're almost like one of those overly perfect characters in a story…"

"Last I checked my personality is technically far from perfect… and I believe you're referring to the character type known as a "Sue", correct? Well, I could go on about how I'm _not _a sue, but, I don't think it's needed."

"Man you are hurting my head… why do you have to talk like that!?"

"Like what?"

"Ggh… screw it! Just forget what I said! Man you are a pain to talk to. Just throw me my book."

Little did Travis know Aiden took this literally, and the other teen wound up getting pegged in the back of his head by the heavy text book, causing his head to slam into the desk again.

"I DIDN'T MEAN LITERALLY THROW IT!"

"You sounded like you meant it literally, so I did what you said and threw it to you. You were the one who wasn't paying attention."

"DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD YOU THREW THAT THING!?"

"No."

"WELL IT HURT! A LOT! YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T BRUISE EASILY!"

"It's not that big of a deal. If you need to just go to the nurse and get it checked out. At least you don't have a concussion. From what I was told back in America, I apparently have a good throwing arm."

"Yet you don't know how hard your throw stuff? Man, this is what I get for bunking with a kid digger."

Travis grumbled more and left the room, and Aiden just went back to reading his book.

"Man, just what is with that guy. You'd think he'd never been around people his age before."

Travis was now just wandering the hallways, and, he eventually ran into Ichika.

"Yo! Ichika!"

"Oh, hey there Travis. What's up?

"Not much. Just taking a walk…the usual routine."

"Aiden's being difficult again is he?"

Travis nodded and Ichika joined him on the walk… mainly because Travis had a bad habit of getting lost for some reason.

"Yeah. I said "throw me my book", and the guy literally threw it at me! And that bloke throws _hard! _My head literally slammed into the desk when he did that! Then he just shrugged it off."

"Well, like my sis said, he doesn't really know any better due to his background… he'll learn eventually… I hope…"

"Same here mate. Ugh… still, at least he tends not to do much if you don't talk to him. But, still, even with that supposed background of his, how does Ms. Orimura expect us to take it easy on him when he's blunt as hell?"

"At least he's honest…"

"Says the guy who can't even notice that five girls have crushes on you…"

"Yeah… about that… if I did try anything the others would try to kill me… so… I don't do anything. But I still don't get why they get so angry with me for no reason…"

"Wait, they'd try to _kill _you?!"

"It's happened before…"

"Well… but, do you even know what you _say _sometimes?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ah forget it. Wait… where are we?"

The two stopped in their tracks and looked around. Somehow during their talk, they'd wound up at the arena.

"How did we get here?"

"I have no idea…"

"Well, took you two idiots long enough."

Aiden landed in front of the two, already in his piloting suit.

"Dude, why are you in your piloting suit?"

"Because Aiden here is scheduled to help the two of you practice right now, unless of course you forgot."

Chifuyu approached the three, and Ichika and Travis looked at each other.

"Crap!"

"We _were _supposed to come here… wait… but… Ms. Orimura, I don't have an IS."

"Actually, we had one sent in for you to use. You'll have to work with its settings yourself, but, we read up on your portfolio, and hopefully it suits your needs."

"Say what?"

"What Ms. Orimura is trying to say Mr. Jacobson, is that you've had your own personal machine sent in since there isn't enough training units for use."

"SAY FREAKIN WHAT!?"

"So, unless you two want to be reprimanded, go and get ready!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Ichika and Travis ran off, and Aiden sighed.

"How do you put up with people like them?"

"You get used to it. You'll have to learn with any kind of person Aiden, this isn't your old military base. You're actually around people your age now, so I suggest you start trying to make friends."

Aiden just looked to the side and crossed his arms.

"Hagh, you always were difficult. Look, just _try _to be a bit more friendly. They're just kids, they aren't like you."

"There's Bodewig."

"Yes, but last I checked you two still aren't on good terms."

"It was her fault in the first place."

"Well it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been so smug!"

Aiden turned around to face Laura, who was glaring up at him.

"I was merely stating a fact back then, Bodewig. You had absolutely no reason to get so angry with me then. Besides, not like anything happened since we were both prohibited from using our IS' at the time."

The two child soldiers stared each other down, and Chifuyu sighed, putting a hand on her forehead.

"Not this again. Will you two stop with your arguing for once!?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Both Aiden and Laura shot into positions of attention out of habit.

"Glad to see you both still listen to me."

Ichika and Travis came running out ready to go, and Travis' suit had light blue lines on it instead of the stock color.

"Alright, Travis, come with me, and we'll get your IS ready."

Travis nodded and followed Chifuyu, and the minute the two were gone, Laura went back to glaring at Aiden, who simply looked away with the same blank expression, and Ichika quirked an eyebrow.

"What is with you two?"

Up in the hanger, Travis was looking at the IS there. It was a Rafael Revive like Charlotte's, but the design was slightly different, a bit bulkier.

"So, this is gonna be my machine huh? Heh, I like it already."

"It's a variation of the Rafael Revive model codenamed Strike Surger. We're not sure on its abilities yet, but, through the data collection we'll find out. Now, get in and start it up."

"Roger that Ms. Yamada!"

Travis clambered up onto the IS and fit his arms and legs in, the machine starting up immediately. He did a brief look over the data being sent to him… but he didn't understand it in the slightest.

"Well, so long as I can fight, that's good enough for me. I'm heading out!"

Tavis shot out into the arena where Ichika and Aiden were waiting with their IS' ready.

"Great… so I have to deal with his monster of an IS along with Ichika… this'll be fun…"

Aiden readied himself and looked between the other two.

"Let's see what you two are capable of…"

Aiden took off immediately and activated the hip mounted rail cannons, firing down on his two opponents, making them disperse.

"Whao! Those things'll hurt if they hit us."

"I hear ya' Ichika! Still… what weapons do I have? Hmm? A rifle huh? Alright, let's go with that!"

Travis pulled out the sniper rifle and took aim, finding it hard to get a lock when Aiden refused to sit still for even a moment.

"Man, how does that guy aim when he's moving like a friggin maniac!? Ugh… come on, this rifle isn't going to be enough! What else can I use!?"

Travis started going through his weapons list as quickly as he could, and Aiden was dealing with Ichika above, moving off with a spray of fire before swooping back in and clashing blades with his IS' arm mounted beam blades.

"Man, he's way more versatile in a fight than I am, but I'm not weak at a range either!"

Ichika opened fire with the left particle blaster, and Aiden swooped out of the way and shot down.

"Travis look out!"

"Crap!"

Travis shot back right as Aiden crashed down where he was.

"Hmph… well, looks like you've got a natural instinct. Let's see how it holds up."

Aiden shot forward as Travis opened fire with his machine guns, leaping up and coming back down with his own spray of fire. Travis dodged again, skidding to a stop, and Aiden aimed both his rifles at his opponents respectively.

"Hmm… I'm impressed Jacobson, you've been keeping up with me with your IS on default settings… but then again, I'm going easy on you two for the sake of training. Were this a real fight I'm positive it would've been over quickly."

"Man I'm getting a little sick of this guy's mouth… juts shut up will ya!?"

The crowd gasped when Travis' IS glowed, and Aiden didn't seem surprised.

"Took him long enough to get the first shift to work. Well, I think my job's done here."

After the shift, Travis' IS was colored sea blue and gold, and there were a few extra heavy weapons on the floating sections near his back.

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"I was asked to help you get through your first shift by Ms. Orimura. After that, it's up to you and Ichika to practice. Besides, my methods might be a bit too extreme for you guys."

Aiden dismissed his IS and walked off, leaving Travis and Ichika stunned.

"Wait… did he serious;y help me out?"

"At my sister's behest anyway…"

Ichika and Travis just shrugged before going back to practicing. As Aiden left, he passed by a rather cheerful looking girl with light blue hair… the student council president Tatenashi Sarashiki.

"Well, that certainly wasn't as interesting to watch as your previous matches."

"I was going easy on them. You could easily see that. You are the student council president after all."

"Hmm hmm, well aren't you observant?"

"I make it a point to know things like that."

Tatenashi giggled and flipped open her fan.

"So, I guess you're going to help them train now?"

"It depends. I'm a bit harsher than you Ms. Sarashiki. I don't leave room for errors."

"My, aren't you the strict person."

"Hmph."

"You have a hilariously cute demeanor at that. Always so cold to people. I wonder, what's behind that."

"Nothing but an empty space. It was made a point to make sure I left my emotions out of my life."

"Still thinking like a soldier. That's going to come back to get you one day."

"Kind of like your pride. We both have our flaws."

Aiden left with that, and Tatenashi chuckled.

"You'll be fun to mess with."

**A/N**

**Current Vote count:**

**Aiden:**

**Laura: 4**

**Charlotte: 2**

**Houki: 1**

**Travis:**

**Charlotte: 3**

**Ichika:**

**Houki: 3**

**Rin: 1**


	6. Chapter 4

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chapter 4: The Party**

**Aiden and Travis' Dorm**

"Sorry I took so long to get back Jacobson, I had to… what the hell is going on here?"

Aiden stopped dead and shut the door when he found Tatenshi grinning at him from the desk. It had been a while since the twos last run in, and Aiden was skeptical, as always.

"Oh I just stopped by to say hi. You _are _the second strongest student in the school. I have half a mind to make you vice-president of the student council."

"What do you _really _want Sarashiki? And where's Jacobson?"

"He and Ichika are still training. I set them to work against Dunois and Alcott, so things should take a while."

"If there's something you want to discuss then quit beating around the bush and say it. I don't like it when people do that."

Aiden went and sat down on his bed, his posture as rigid as ever compared to Tatenashi's more lax position in the chair.

"Hmm hmm, what, I can't try to be friendly."

"I can hear Ichika's screams coming from the other room every time you show up. I have reasons to be suspicious about you. Thankfully, I'm not as easy to mess with as either Ichika or Travis."

"And why is that?"

"Training to resist interrogation. Nothing short of death can make me budge."

Tatenashi giggled again, and Aiden sighed. Aiden had done enough snooping (thanks to stealth spec ops training and a shit ton of hacking skills he'd picked up from an old friend of sorts) to know that Tatenashi had been assigned to help guard the rather weak Ichika so that his IS wouldn't be stolen, and he also guessed that if she'd been trusted with _that _then it was likely, as the academy's strongest student, she knew well enough about the parts of Aiden's past that _hadn't _been redacted by the American government in an effort to cover up Project Midnight, in which(as far as Aiden knew anyway, there were some things he couldn't just hack into easily) was the only viable result/survivor or aforementioned project.

"Look, if there's really no point in you being here, then please leave. I really don't have the time."

"Well, I _did _want to let you know that your little posse is planning a little welcome party for you and Travis. I figured you'd be the kind of person to whip out a weapon if you were surpised, so I wanted to make sure you wouldn't be."

Tatenashi punctuated this by whipping out her IS' spear as fast as lightning, and Aiden's reaction was just as quick, using a partial deployment on the right arm of Midnight Swallow and blocking the jab with ease, the energy blade on his arm crackling.

"Good. Nice to see you're reactions are what they look like."

"If you want a duel, just say it."

"Nope!"

Tatenashi dismissed the spear and instead sauntered up to Aiden, who moved his right arm aside as he dismissed the IS arm.

"But, maybe you should take up on Ms. Orimura's advice and start acting friendlier… I'd like to get to know you better."

"We'll see how that goes. I have reasons for being the way I am."

"Hmm hmm, reasons that aren't really valid anymore, Aiden. I hope you realize that. See ya' again!"

Tatenashi left with a cheerful smile and wave, and Travis walked in just then, and he watched her leave with an odd look, looking at Aiden.

"Uh… care to explain dude?"

"Don't get any lecherous ideas Jacobson. We simply talked. Thankfully she seems to realize she can't mess with me like she does Ichika."

"So _that _explains the screams. I wondered why that had been going on."

"Well, you got your explanation. So how'd training go? Any news I should've heard?"

Travis fell over rather comically, and Aiden actually raised an eyebrow.

"Did you… just… ask me how training went?"

"Yeah. So?"

"ICHIKA GET THE GILRS! WE ALL NEED TO HAVE A TALK ABOUT AIDEN!"

Travis shot out of the room in a flash, and Aiden still had an eyebrow raised.

"What? All I did was ask how his training went. No need to act so shocked."

**Cafeteria**

"So, let's get this straight, Aiden actually asked a rather normal question for once?"

"And he wasn't saying it in a jerky way?"

"Or being his usual self to put things simply."

Travis actually liked Laura's answer. Aiden being his usual self… yeah… the thing is, Aiden asking about training was completely unlike him. The guy normally never cared about anything… any questions he did ask were usually about food (something Travis had recently found seemed to be Aiden's one sole weakness: good food, though it was kinda justified), or a snarky question commenting on the way everyone acted. Asking about something as common as training, a typical subject in this school, was a shocker.

"Yes! I shit you not, he asked me how training went. And I don't even know why. Either Ms. Orimura's constant yelling has gotten through his thick skull, or it may have had something to do with the apparent talk he had with the student council prez when I came back."

"Wait, he was with Tatenashi?"

"_Alone?"_

For some reason Laura seemed a little pissed at that prospect… though from what Travis had heard she had a thing for Ichika… then again, so did every girl at the table, along with a third of the student body, the other two thirds being divided between Travis and Aiden, though the latter didn't seem to take any notice while Travis relished in it.

"Hey, we all know how the guy is, I seriously doubt they did anything… weird. Maybe they really did just have a casual chat."

"But the fact he was _alone _with her…"

"You seem a little angry Laura. I thought you and Aiden didn't get along."

Charlotte asked that, and Laura immediately blushed and turned away.

"We don't get along! I don't even need to explain anything!"

The group just nodded with a collective sigh. Aiden _was _a bit of a pain, but, as Chifuyu had said, he was used to a rigid military life where he dealt with people much older than him and had very little to no contact with people his own age, so it made some sense that transitioning to the life of a regular (as far as being an IS pilot went anyway) teenager was completely alien to him. Still didn't excuse his attitude though.

"True… but… has anyone wondered about his scarf? Totally random question, but he does mention military regulation often, though his hairstyle and the scarf obviously go against it."

Everyone let out a musing sound when Rin spoke up. It was a mystery. Aiden was as rigid as they could get, completely contrasting with Travis' lax nature and rather hot headed temperament, traits that defined him wholly. But, despite his rigidity, Aiden always wore that same red scarf unless he was in his IS suit.

"Maybe it…"

The group started exchanging theories, ranging from something he'd gotten due to a hidden personal taste, a gift of sorts, a keepsake, etc. After a while, they all got bored on the subject of Aiden. They ran out of things to talk about regarding him after covering his IS.

"Wow, all of that sparked just because he acted a little normal for once… wow."

The others nodded in agreement to Travis' statement.

"Well, I'm gonna hit the hay. See you all later. G'night."

Travis left as the others bade him good night.

"Good, he left, now we can get back to planning."

"Guys, if we wanted to throw this party we should've done it when they first got here. It's been wuite a while."

"Ichika, does it matter when you throw a party for someone!? We're trying to be nice!"

Ichika lifted his arms when Houki snapped at him.

"Sorry. So, it's a surprise party right? Are we sure Aiden isn't going to pull out some hidden weapon or something and accidently stab someone?"

"Well, that should be taken into account… but, hopefully he can hold back _that _impulse."

Laura had that same impulsive reaction at times, though she'd grown out of it a bit. Aiden? He could do that at any minute and not even bat an eye. The boy could definitely make a non-lethal strike if something like that happened.

"Well, we'll just have to plan things out simply then… food shouldn't be a problem since both Aide and Travis seem to be capable of eating anything… Aiden quite literally."

Everyone nodded, though Cecilia didn't see the meaning behind their grim looks. Aiden had, at one point after his duel with Cecilia, in one of the few times they'd managed to force him to join them all on the roof, managed to stomach a whole plate of Cecilia's sandwiches without so much as flinching. Most people would be dead after something like that, and everyone at the table could attest to just how _terrible _of a chef Cecilia is. Terrible was putting it nicely really, more like Cecilia could count as a _lethal _chef.

The planning went on for a while longer until Chifuyu charged in yelling, ordering them to get to their rooms, at which the six scampered off as quickly as they could.

**A couple days later**

"Travis…"

"Yeah?"

"Why the hell am I stuck in a locker?"

"I have no idea what you mean."

Travis whistled as Aiden started rattling against the door. He'd managed to catch onto the others little party plan, and, much to a fews surpise, he'd gone ahead and shoved Aiden into his locker to keep him from heading back to their room for a while. The guy was scrawny enough he fit rather easily when you scrunched him up, which had been a labor in itself.

"LET ME OUT TRAVIS!"

"Whoa, I think that's the first time I've heard you raise your voice, it's actually not as deep as it seems when you're not deadpanning. You sound more your age when you speak naturally."

"SAYS THE GUY WHO LOOKS AND SOUNDS THREE YEARS OLDER THAN HE IS! LET ME OUT GODDAMMIT! I HAVE CLAUSTROPHOBIA!"

Travis' eyes widened and he quickly threw the locker door open, only to be met with a rather sharp combat knife at his throat.

"Do anything like that again and I _will _kill you. I don't like tight spaces for a very good reason. You're lucky it's not a severe phobia."

Aiden actually seemed genuinely pissed off, hell, he was even glaring at Travis. And, for some reason, Travis felt satisfied he managed to drag _some _emotion out of the normally stoic soldier boy. At least it proved the guy was actually human, though his next reply was back in his normal deep monotone.

"I don't even know why you shoved me in there… but, I'll let it go so long as you don't do so again… next time, I'll bust out with my IS and obliterate you on the spot. Let's just forget this happened."

Aiden pulled back his sleeve a bit and let the knife slide into the built in sheath he'd added.

"Why do you have a combat knife up your sleeve?"

"I have one in each sleeve. Just in case I need an extra weapon and don't want to deploy my IS. Now, I'm heading back to our room."

"Sure, let's go do that!"

Travis took the lead, and Aiden followed with his blank expression returned in full, and when the two finally made it back, Travis slipped into the room so quickly that it surprised Aiden. Slightly. He knew well enough the guy could move when he needed to. Aiden just sighed and opened the door, flicking on the lights as normal, only to get pelted with confetti along with Travis, and he sighed again.

"Why now? You're all so lucky I'm not in the mood to do anything like that right now."

"Aw buckup mate! All our friends decided to put on a bit of a welcome party for us!"

"I never said any of you were my friends."

"Aw quit being such a stick in the mud Aiden! Let's all ahev some fun! Besides, it took time to set all this up, you might as well _try _enjoy it."

"I was shoved into a locker for ten minutes… you have no idea how hard it is to keep myself from completely freaking out right now. I _hate _tight spaces."

"Oh, something I can use against you eh?"

Aiden literally jumped when Tatenashi appeared out of nowhere behind him, and everyone stared at him oddly.

"I'm jumpy right now. Shut up."

Tatenashi laughed and walked in, making the space more crowded than before as everyone sat around, and Aiden didn't seem very comfortable in the room now. Two or three people, perfectly fine since the room was a decent size, but _nine!? _That was a bit too much for this room size. After an exchange of banter and Tatensahi pouncing on the opportunity that arose from the reveal Aiden couldn't really use chopsticks for squat still came up in an attempt to tease him (which ended with a combat knife crossing with a fan and a rather irritated Laura), Travis spoke up.

"I got an idea for a game! A literal "spin" on Truth or Dare: Truth or Dare spin the bottle edition!"

Everyone looked at Travis in either surprise, curiosity, (in Aiden's case) uninterest, or just plain confusion.

"Take it as a game of luck! We follow the normal rules of truth or dare, but, the person is chosen by the spin of a bottle, in this case for us a water bottle. So, not much different, but, I'm not gonna repeat the pun, it was admittedly bad."

"This can only end in disaster."

Aiden muttered the last bit quietly enough for Ichika to hear him, and the other teen nodded with a gulp. This would not end well for him… at all. Three guys and seven girls… things could only go badly… but, that was worst case scenario, and Aiden was known for thinking the worst.

"Alright… I'll spin first."

Travis spun the water bottle, and an odd tension filled the air as it begun to slow down…

**A/N**

**So, this and the next chapter are gonna be a bit more on the casual side of things. And, to make it clear, Aiden is the protagonist, Travis is the deuteroganist, and Ichika is the tritagonist. And that Project Midnight thing is gonna come back, trust me. Now for the tally again!**

**Aiden:**

**Laura: 5**

**Charlotte: 2**

**Houki: 1**

**Tatenashi: 1**

**Travis:**

**Charlotte: 4**

**Ichika:**

**Houki: 3**

**Rin: 2**


	7. Chapter 5

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chapter 5: A rather odd night**

When the water bottle finally stopped spinning, it landed on none other than Ichika, and he looked extremely worried, and he seemed like he was screaming internally.

'Crap crap crap crap! Please don't make me do anything that'll get me killed!'

Ichika's hopes were drowned when Travis gleaned a sly grin, an idea brewing in his head.

"Alright Ichika, truth or dare?"

"Uh…"

Ichika was rather scared now. Gazes from all the girls except Tatenashi, who was silently giggling behind her fan, put him on edge.

"Well, I was right when I said things can only end in disaster."

"DON'T MAKE THIS ANY WORSE THAN IT IS AIDEN!"

"What? I'm just being honest."

"Truth or dare Ichika? We don't have all night."

"Truth…"

Travis smirked when that word came out, and Ichika hung his head.

"Alright then. Which of the lovely ladies here do you like best?"

And so, the flames of jealousy ignited as each of the five girls gazed at Ichika near expectantly, and Aiden slouched a bit, his finger tapping on his elbow rather quickly since he didn't like how crowded it was.

"This'll end well."

"I have to agree with you Sarashiki… this can only end one way."

C-can I change to dare, please?"

"Fine. I dare you to answer that question."

"Make it a double dare."

Ichika turned to Aiden in surprise when he spoke up.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME KILLED!?"

"I'm simply curious is all. I've never done anything like this due to my now strangely obvious past, I blame Ms. Orimura, so, I want to see what happens."

"I hate you right now…"

"Actually, chalk it up to a triple dog dare. I want to see where this goes as well."

"WHY ARE YOU TAKING THEIR SIDE TATENASHI!?"

"So, who is it Ichika?"

Ichika shot back when he started receiving rather disturbing blank looks and a couple glares.

"Uhm… uh… ilikehouki…"

"Couldn't quite hear ya mate. Care to say it again so that we can _all _here?"

"You were planning this weren't you Travis!?"

"Now where do you get that idea?"

Travis chuckled and put his arms behind his head, his sleeves moving a bit to reveal the metallic armband that was his inactive IS.

"Last I checked Travis had no prior knowledge of this event, but, if he was planning something then perhaps he planned it while all this was going on."

"WILL YOU QUIT BEING SO GODDAMN BLUNT ALL THE TIME!?"

"You still need to repeat the answer Orimura. Unless you want me to force you. I happen to be well versed in interrogation techniques among other things."

"I'm pretty sure you're an expert in anything involving the military…"

"Well, everyone's waiting Ichika… what's your answer?"

Tatenashi hid her usual sly grin behind her fan, and Ichika let out a heavy, relenting sigh.

"I like Houki… there I said it."

Right as Houki started celebrating, the other girls immediately started to boil, and in a flash, Aiden and Tatenashi had IS weapons out and blocking faster than they could blink.

"You have the IS Academy's two best pilots in this room."

"I don't think now is the time to get like that, don't you think? Maybe you should put some thought into this first. Dontcha think?"

Travis had jumped to the other side of his bed in the meantime while Aiden and Tatenashi spoke. The other four girls in the room were shaking with controlled jealousy as Houki slid over to Ichika, a bit of an awkward tension between the two, though after several long minutes of having a spear and a beam blade held in front of them, a sort of understanding passed through the group thugh it was obvious a couple hearts were broken, and the IS weapons were finally dismissed.

"Well… that went swimmingly... hmm… Ichika… you can just choose instead… I think you might want to…"

"Tavis, truth or dare?"

"Wait, I didn't…"

"Truth. Or. Dare?"

"You walked right into that one Travis."

"Shut up Aiden."

"Uh… let's see…"

'If I say dare, he's probably going to make me do something embarrassing, but if I say truth he's gonna make me say _something _I don't want to right now… man, what am I supposed to do here?'

"Can I… pass?"

"Travis… don't be a wimp. I thught you weren't one to pass up a challenge?"

"Fine… dare…"

Ichika grinned.

"Okay, try some of the food Ceclilia made."

Travis let out a silent whimper. The only person in this room who could stomach that kind of sin against cooking was Aiden, who'd mentioned eating much worse. Cecilia happily handed Travis one of the sandwiches from a plate, and the teen stared at it for a second.

'Come on… I've eaten freaking snake before… and that was gnarly… if this trumps that… then I may not live through tonight.'

Travis gulped and took the first bite, his face tightening up as he avoided gagging, and Ichika was holding back a laugh as the boy forced himself through the rest.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Thankfully, Travis' note was quiet enough so that Cecilia wouldn't here. No one really wanted to tell her how bad she was at cooking. Well, Aiden had come close once… but since he seemed to have an iron stomach and poison immunity he'd stopped himself. Thankfully.

"How much should I bet I'm the next victim since we forwent Tavis' rule after Ichika?"

"Alright Aiden, if you want to. Truth, or, dare?"

Aiden growled when Tatenashi spoke up. She seemed oddly determined to mess with him as of late, and Laura certainly seemed ticked off, if not for the fact Tatenashi had taken the closest spot to Aiden since he'd stuck near his bed, which had just made things even more cramped for him.

"I'm not taking a dare from you Sarashiki… truth."

"I want to ask this one if you would allow. What did you do before coming here, Aiden?"

Laura asked before anything else, and Aiden closed his eyes.

"Saying "classified information" like I usually do won't get me anywhere will it?"

"Not unless you want to answer one of Sarashiki's questions."

Aiden let out a heavy breath as Laura said that. True, he had a bad case of paranoia stemming from the girl next to him. Granted, he tended to be paranoid about a lot of things thanks to situational awareness that was a bit higher than it should be.

"Alright. I know that by now, all of you know I'm a child soldier, trained to pilot an IS for years. To put things into perspective, I am the only viable result of a secret project known as "Project Midnight", which was an attempt to create a perfect male IS pilot… before being named Aiden Freeborn I was known as 00. And that's about it. I'm the only viable success, and the only surviving subject that is still known about. I can safe;y tell you this due to the rules the IS Academy employs in its students protection."

And things became grim at that. Laura obviously seemed to know, Tatenashi wasn't surprised, at least she didn't seem like it, and the others had no words really.

"Uh… could we move on to something a bit more… positive?"

"I agree with Charlotte! Um… new game? So that we can find something where we _don't _make people say gloomy things."

Laura simply glanced at Travis, who shivered a bit at the cold gaze.

"He said truth, so I simply asked."

"You're both way to blunt."

"Actually, I still haven't gotten to ask my own question since it _was _my turn."

The others turned towards Tatenashi, and she looked at Aiden slyly.

"Is there any girl here you like?

"No."

The answer was quick and deadpan, coming out immediately after the previous sentence was finished. And not the least bit surprising.

"Well, it was worth a shot to see."

"Like you'd get anything out of it."

"Aw, can't I have _some _fun?"

"Mess with Ichika all you want, but leave _me_ alone."

"HEY!"

"What? It's easy to hear you freaking out in the other room."

Ichika started sweating when glares got turned towards him.

"NONE OF IT IS MY FAULT! WHY DO YOU GUYS ALWAYS GET SO MAD AT ME!?"

"He seriously doesn't get it?"

"No, I'm afraid he does not…"

Travis slapped his head when Charlotte made the confirmation. There was no way somebody could possibly be so dense. When a clang sounded, everybody's heads shot around to see Aiden blocking Tatenashi's fan with his knife, and the boy let out a sigh.

"What is it with you and testing my reflexes as of late?"

"I think it's funny."

"You have a bizarre sense of humor…"

"And, I like to see if you can keep up with me."

"What are you implying?"

"Uh… Charlotte?"

"Yes Travis?"

"Is it just me… or does Tatenashi seem to be flirting with Aiden in some extremely weird way?"

"That's certainly _one _way to look at it… hehe…"

The next thing that happened, Laura was jumping in and a short scuffle started, with Aiden visibly wigging out since he was even more cramped then before, and it got a good laugh out of the others to see the otherwise stoic child soldier being somewhat normal while caught between a scuffle. And they honestly hoped to see more of that hidden awkwardness.

**A/N**

**I see a weird potential in both Aiden X Laura and Aiden x Tatenashi… time for a love triangle since Tatenashi is currently three votes behind Laura. Also, I made Aiden a claustrophobe for a reason. It has to do with his past as Subject 00. But, I'm strangely curious as to why Charlotte has been the only one people have voted on for Travis… well, I can see how that could work.**

**Current Votes:**

**Aiden:**

**Laura: 6**

**Charlotte: 2**

**Tatenashi: 3**

**Travis:**

**Charlotte: 6**

**Ichika:**

**Resolved as of this chapter: Houki**


	8. Chapter 6

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chapter 6: Specter of the Past**

**Aiden and Travis' Room**

Aiden set down his toothbrush as he finished, taking a step out and the door slid open, and he grow;ed inwardly at who greeted him.

"Good morning!"

None other than Tatenashi… again.

"Why are you here? I thought you'd be busy torturing Orimura."

"I decided to give him a break this morning. Though I'd drop by and say hi."

"This is becoming an oddly regular thing. And with the school festival coming up, I feel like you have some ulterior motive in store. One I won't like."

Aiden started getting dressed wordlessly, and he pricked up a bit when he thought he heard something, and he threw back the curtains on the windows.

"Why the hell do I feel like I was being watched?"

"What was that about?"

Aiden instinctively whipped out a knife, and Tatenashi caught it with her fan. He'd forgotten the girl was there, and it wasn't a good idea to surprise Aiden.

"Let me guess, reflex?"

"Don't surprise me and that won't happen again. One of these days you'll wind up being a couple seconds short."

"Hmm hmm, I doubt that'll be anytime soon."

Aiden let out a short huff and stored his knife again.

'There was no way that was a fluke. Someone was definitely watching. But who?'

"Hello-o-o! Earth to Aiden! Snap out of it!"

"Stop. I'm just thinking… I had an odd feeling…"

"Oh? And what kind of feeling would that be?"

"None of your concern Sarashiki."

"Aw, c'mon! I want to know!"

"If you're thinking of something else than no, it's not whatever you're thinking of."

"You're no fun."

"Save it. Now get your butt out of here so I can finish changing."

"You didn't seem to mind before."

"Well that was before I got self-conscious about it! Now scram!"

Aiden shoved Tatenashi out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

"Is she gone?"

Travis came out from under the bed, and Aiden sighed.

"What the hell were you doing under there?"

"Hiding from Tatenashi what's it look like? I ain't going to let her mess with me like she does Ichika!"

"So you're going to hide?"

"She's the top pilot in the academy! I don't want to piss her off!"

Aiden just shook his head. He had no idea why he had to be at the center of this, and Laura's jealous streak just got worse.

'Sooner or later she's gonna wind up breaking in here… why can I see that happening?'

**Class 1-1**

Ichika's eye twitched at the suggestions for what the class would do for the festival, and each one involved _something _weird concerning him and the other two guys, and Aiden was scanning them with an admittedly curious eye while Travis was snickering to himself, enjoying this way to much.

"What in the world are all these for?"

"Dude, you seriously haven't heard of any of these games?"

"Need I explain what I have already said?"

"…all declined!"

"WHAT!?"

"Seriously dude?"

"I still don't get this."

"Of course you wouldn't Aiden… are you stupid or what!? Who would want to do these anyway?"

Ichika yelled in exasperation. What was with these girls?

"Ichika, you are so very ignorant of the ways of woman."

"What does that mean Travis!?"

"It means he's saying you're an idiot when it comes to the opposite gender."

"You're no different Aiden!"

"Expect I have a valid reason, unlike you. I never interacted with any females much back in America for reasons already stated."

"I hate you sometimes…"

Travis just made a satisfied chuckle when all the girls started saying they'd definitely do those suggestions, and Houki looked more than a little pissed off.

"See my point dude? As the only males in this school we have a bit of a job."

"Yeah, except for the fact I'm taken."

Ichika was quiet enough so that only the other two boys up front with him would hear, and Travis just shrugged while Aiden went back to racking his brain over the suggested games.

"Uh… what in the world is this "Kings game"?"

"Let me educate you on that one my friend. You see…"

Travis started whispering the details to Aiden, and his look got progressively more towards describing a "what the hell?" face.

"What!? You're not serious? _ANYTHING _goes? No matter how crazy?"

"Yep. No matter what, the chosen person has to follow the king's order, no matter how odd it is."

Aiden let out a distressed sigh, and many of the girls squealed at the actual showing of expression coming from Aiden. Ichika sighed.

"Ms. Yamada, you wouldn't approve a crazy idea like this, would you?"

"Well, I guess…"

Aiden tuned out what happened next, losing interest, and his eyes were drawn to an odd shadow just outside the window, and he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out, and on the screen, a message was there.

_Subject 00, aka Aiden Freeborn, you won't know who I am. But, when you get this, go to the shrine in the city immediately after the Academy lets out. Don't bother not showing up, because if you don't, I have some friends who'd be willing to burn the place to the ground. Your choice. By the way, don't bring any hidden weapons I'm sure you have, you IS is enough, not that you'll need it._

'How the hell does this person know who I am? And what's with the obscurity? Ngh… but… I'm not risking the safety of the students here… So I don't have a choice…'

**After School/Shrine**

Aiden walked through the gate that lead into the shrine, looking around when he reached the middle of the courtyard.

"Alright, I came here like you asked. Now what do you want? And how do you know about my association with Project Midnight?"

"Hahaha… I can assume that this managed to piss you off? I hope so. You're so boring, being so emotionless all the time. I wonder what those egghead scientists had to do to make you that way. But, I guess being cut off from the outside world will do that to you."

The voice that spoke was a young mans, and there was a certain refinement to the way he spoke, his tone smooth and calm.

"Like I said, what do you want? I don't have time for games or idle prattle like this."

"So blunt and direct. Heh, I like that. You're not afraid to go around all the annoying bullshit people like to spout. But that's going to get you in trouble one of these days, 00."

"My name is Aiden Freeborn."

"I know, but, I don't know you as anything else. After all, that name is just something they gave you to help cover up Project Midnight. Don't tell me you've grown attached to it."

"Shut up! Just get to your point! What are you here for!?"

"Struck a nerve have I? Well it's about time you got angry because someone managed to rile you up."

Aiden growled and looked around, and when he saw a brief glint, he rolled out of the way just as a gunshot sounded off, the bullet grazing his hair, and the tree behind him lots a good chunk.

"The hell!?"

"Good, your reflexes really are up to notch. But, what else could you expect from a super soldier made for combat?"

From the brush, a white haired young man walked out, covered by a grey overcoat, a pistol in his hand, and his eyes were the same crystal blue as Aiden's, a definitive mark of the Project Midnight subjects, and he had an odd, almost serene grin on his face that matched the looks.

"What!? No way… I was the only…"

"So you though Aiden. Though as you might notice, my hair is completely white, unlike yours. That's a result of the augmentation process. You were considered a success because of the way you are. You didn't wind up like I did. To put it frankly, I didn't wind up perfect."

"What the hell are talking about!?"

Aiden threw his right arm out and brought out an IS arm, the beam blade shooting out.

"Heh… guess you can't tell. But, that's alright, you'll see eventually… if you live long enough anyway."

The was a rustling in the brush near the two, and Laura shot out with blade ready, cutting the pistol out of the young man's hand as he moved back.

"Bodewig?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I saw your face back in class, und I assumed something vas vrong, so I followed you. Looks like I vas right!"

"Hmph, Schwarzre Hase huh? Well… guess we'll be seeing each other again Aiden… oh, and you can call me Spectra… the specter that will haunt your past from this day forth… hahahahahaha!"

In a flash, Spectra deployed a white and red IS and took off, leaving the two child soldiers below, and they dismissed their weapons.

"Why the hell did you follow me Bodewig?! Do you know how dangerous that was?!"

"I followed you of my own volition. I didn't have to, but I decided I would. Just who was that Spectra person? Do you know him?"

"No, but, he's like me. You could tell by his eyes. I was told that all the subjects of Project Midnight had the same crystal colored eyes I have, as it's a result of the alterations we went through, the white hair included. But, I was told I was the only surviving subject… guess they forgot about this… Spectra… but… what was with his IS? It wasn't in the database for models, and I didn't recognize it."

Aiden looked at his hand as Laura got a contemplative look.

'Another super soldier like me… why do I feel like this isn't going to be the last I see of this guy?'

"Aiden?"

"Sorry… just thinking… whoever this guy is, I need to tell Ms. Orimura. Come on, let's get back to the Academy."

Aiden grabbed Laura's hand for the sole sake of making sure they wouldn't get separated as he hurried off, though Laura's face went beet red immediately.

"A-alright… j-just take the lead…"

Aiden raised an eyebrow, but shook his head, more concerned about the immediate threat than anything else right now. He could tell Spectra was dangerous with just a look despite the serene calm about him. There was a storm hiding behind that, and Aiden could tell, even if he wasn't the emotional type himself.

'I'm going to need to keep a watch now. Just to be safe. I never thought my past would come back to haunt me like this… he made a good choice of name. Next time, it won't wind up like this. He'll go down… and I can leave Project Midnight behind for good.'

**A/N**

**And I have just introduced the Ribbons Almark clone… and yes, his IS is based off the Reborns Gundam. Vote tally time!**

**Aiden:**

**Laura: 7**

**Tatenashi: 4**

**Travis:**

**Might as well make it official, Charlotte wins this one.**


	9. Chapter 7

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chapter 7:**

**Chifuyu's Office**

"You're positive that this… Spectra, is also one of Project Midnights subjects, Freeborn?"

Chifuyu and Aiden were in the formers office, and Aiden had just given a briefing on Spectra, having just returned not long ago.

"I'm positive. He had the exact same eyes I do, a mark that we're soldiers who are results of the project. Not only that, he also has an IS, but, I wasn't able to confirm was kind of model it was. I went through the entire database on existing IS models, and I didn't see one like it at all."

"That's concerning. If he has an unknown IS that could cause problems. But why choose to show up now of all times?"

"I think it has to do with the fact I'm away from the people who were in charge of the project. There's nothing but the schools own security and my own skills to defend myself now, and without any viable combat data, who knows how this guy fights. But… I want to leave that past behind me… I'm not Subject 00 anymore."

"I know that. But, I don't think that'll happen until Spectra is taken care of. I'll make sure the teachers are aware. Does anyone else know about him?"

"Laura Bodewig does. She followed me when I went out to meet him, and I'm not sure if she's told anyone else."

"Well, knowing Bodewig like I do, I'm sure she'll stay quiet if I ask her to. We can't have word of this spreading around. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am. Though managing to keep something like this from reaching the ears of Sarashiki may prove difficult."

Chifuyu snickered.

"I think she should know. As the student president she can handle herself just fine, and besides, I assume you already know I have her guarding my brother."

"In the case the people in Phantom Task try to steal his IS because of its core. I know. Phantom Task has been a bit more active lately… I wonder why… but, should I assume Spectra is working with them? Or stay with the idea he's working solo?"

Chifuyu folded her hands and closed her eyes, thinking for a moment. For one, Aiden most likely hacked the system to figure out what he had, but, she couldn't really stop him from doing that. No doubt he reset everything back to the way it was when he was done so that there was no evidence. She'd talk to him about it later. Next up though, was what the boy had suggested. If Spectra _was _working with Phantom Task, then that could spell trouble.

"I'm not sure, Freeborn. But, stay on guard. If he shows up again, do what you need to alright? You're one of my students, so I expect you not to fall so easily, especially since you're the Academy's second best."

"I understand Ms. Orimura. I'll do what I can."

"Try to relax a bit though. The school festival is coming up, so _try _to act your age for once."

"I have a bad feeling that Sarashiki is going to pull something during the festival."

"Hahaha… well, perhaps. Sarashiki _is _in charge of the festival after all. She's taken a bit of an interest in you y'know? I find it a little odd, the Russian representative interested in the American one. To be honest, I thought you two would wind up being rivals or even enemies."

"Define the way you're using interest."

"I think you'll find out soon enough. You're a smart boy, even if you're rather lacking in the social department."

"Hey!"

"Just teasing. But don't mull over this too much. Just focus on your school work and training, got it?"

"Yes ma'am."

**School Festival**

Aiden's eye was twitching as he camped out behind the curtains.

"Why in the hell am I wearing this suit?"

"We're supposed to be butlers mate. Might as well roll with it. But damn do I look good!"

Travis was busy looking at himself in the swallow tail suit, and Aiden trying to adjust his.

"This is so darn uncomfortable."

"How is it any different than your uniform?"

"That is actually comfortable to wear. This? Not so much. How do people wear these monkey suits anyway?"

"You two! It's your turn to go out! Get out there and get busy!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Sure…"

Aiden begrudgingly followed Travis out and the two were met by the gasps of awe of the girls out in the line, and the two began going about their duties, Aiden keeping up a rather decent façade while Travis was working any charm he could, and both of them got the girls swooning.

"Well, looks like this'll be even more of a success thanks to those two."

Ichika chuckled and went back to his own job, and Charlotte and Laura were growling a bit.

"What does Travis think he's doing?"

"At least Aiden isn't taking this too far… I'd have to kill him if he did."

"Isn't that going a bit too far Laura?"

Charlotte was a little concerned. Laura had been getting a little _too _angry as of late, and it was always sparked when Aiden was around other girls, not like that could be avoided in this school, but it was at its absolute worse when it involved Tatenashi.

"Hmph!"

Laura went back to work, and Charlotte sighed.

"Things are going to be troublesome for Aiden, that much I can tell."

Boy, did Charlotte have no idea how right she was. After a bit more work and time, Aiden had managed to slink off for a break.

"Gugh… why? Why in hell am I doing this?"

"Because you don't have a choice."

Aiden growled and turned around, his arms crossed and not surprised at all to see Tatenashi grinning at him.

"What are you dragging me off for?"

"Awww, that spoiled the surprise. Well, I need your help with the student councils entertainment production! I've already recruited Ichika and Travis for this! All that's left is you."

"As I said, what are you dragging me into this time Sarashiki? If it's utterly ridiculous, I'd much rather go and sleep."

"Hmm hmm, you don't have a choice really."

Tatenashi flipped her fan open, and Aiden growled, making her giggle slightly.

"You look so cute when you're angry, you know that? Come one, we have a play to set out!"

"I never agreed to this!"

Tatenashi didn't respond, and instead just grabbed Aiden and began dragging him along, chuckling mischievously while the child soldier protested rather animatedly.

**Locker Room**

"Alright, you got me here. What now?"

"Well, Ichika and Travis are in a different area. Just take this with you."

Tatenashi handed Aiden a gold colored pocket watch, and the boy examined it.

"A watch? What role am I supposed to be playing anyway? Considering you've forced me into this."

"Hmm hmm, you're smart. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out on the fly. Good luck out there!"

Aiden sighed as Tatenashi trotted off, checking his sleeves to make sure the knives were still there in case he needed them. He didn't really feel comfortable unless he had something physical with him, even if he had his IS. When a light finally came back on after a good while, Aiden found himself in a rather trashed courtyard, most likely set up in the arena.

"Great, what happened here?"

"But behold! The brave young butler of the two princes arrives just in the nick of time to save his two masters! But, little does he know that his coveted watch also holds precious information about his country, making him a prime target for the Cinderellas!"

"Oh you are kidding me. Really Sarashiki!? What did you pull this time!? Tch, whatever. Might as well find those two idiots and save their asses from the girls. I swear, I am going to _kill _her for this one."

Aiden listened for the definite sounds of chaos, and he took off in the direction of the closest source. When he finally did arrive, he found Travis being chased by a rather pissed off looking Charlotte, and he was a little surprised by the fact she was chasing him in a rather large dress.

"I'm telling you, I have no idea what I did!"

"Oh you know perfectly well Travis!"

"Why are you so angry!?"

"Goddammit."

Aiden slapped his forehead and sighed. He really had to bail the guy out of something he most likely deserved? Travis' Casanova tendencies did tend to make things troublesome, and ever since the party Charlotte was definitely annoyed by it more than usual.

"Whatever. If the story demands it."

Aiden slid down the slope, and, quite unexpectedly, _kicked _Travis aside before flipping over Charlotte and landing nimbly on a rail.

"What the hell was that for Aiden!?"

"I suggest you get running while I deal with Dunois, Jacobson. In the case you hadn't heard Sarashiki's announcement."

"You aren't going anywhere Aiden!"

Aiden growled and flipped back to the ground when Laura attacked him, in the same getup as Charlotte, wielding two combat knives of her own. Aiden flipped his out of his sleeves and blocked Laura's next strike, the metallic blades scraping against each other.

"Great… what's this about?"

"Nothing of your concern! Just hand over that pocket watch!"

_So it has to do with whatever Sarashiki had me carry this damn watch for. But really? It's kind of dumb._

"Fine, just take it. Not like I have a reason to…"

As Aiden was about to throw the watch, a sudden electrical shock went out, but Aiden didn't even flinch, letting out a rather comic puff of smoke when the shock ended.

"I don't even need to hear the explanation. Sorry Laura, but if you want this thing, guess you'll have to pry it out of my hands first."

Aiden took off, leaving Laura to yell at him, and Travis had disappeared as well. So, it was either find Ichika or keep avoiding Laura. Great. After a bit more running, Aiden didn't notice a hatch open up, and he was pulled in by somebody, crashing down into the locker room.

"Gagh! The hell?!"

"Well, that's certainly an interesting getup, 00. Let me guess, not your choice?"

"Spectra!?"

Aiden jumped up and shot around, the other young man's face half hidden in shadow, and his eyes seemed to have an ominous glow about them.

"Hehehe… who else?"

"What do you want?!"

"Nothing much… other than your life!"

Spectra flipped out an arm and an IS arm formed holding a large katana that cut through multiple lockers while Aiden rolled out of the way and lowered his visor.

"Midnight Swallow!"

The IS deployed as Aiden made it to the center, and something hit his back, and he turned to see Ichika with Byakushiki deployed.

"Orimura?"

"Aiden? Well, guess you aren't the only one in trouble."

Aiden looked over a bit to see someone else in the shadows, the form spider like.

"Don't lose focus on your opponent 00, that's bad form. Come out, Masamune Reborn!"

In a flash, Spectra was standing with his own IS deployed, and now that Aiden got a good look at it, he noted it only seemed to have one wing like part, and the rest was both heavily armed but at the same time light enough to move.

"What kind of IS is that?"

"The IS that's going to kill you."

**A/N**

**Current vote count for Aiden:**

**Laura: 9**

**Tatenashi: 4**


	10. Chapter 8

Is: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chapter 8: A Real Battle**

"Orimura! Keep moving if your opponent fights from a range!"

Aiden and Ichika dashed off as their respective enemies attacked, Ichika avoiding machine gun fire while Aiden blocked Spectra's massive sword with his beam blade and attempted to shoot him with one of his particle rifles. Ichika's opponent was cackling like a maniac as she fired on Ichika, who moved between cover in an attempt to make her waste ammo.

"Ha! You're friend seems to be in a little trouble, too bad you're to busy with me!"

"Shut it! You're not going to last much longer here!"

"Try me! You may have been the successful subject, but I have just as much talent was you!"

Spectra swung his blade again, and Aiden dodged the slash, rolling to the side and firing his beam rifles. Spectra was slammed by the shots, skidding back to the center of the room where the other pilot was, still firing at Ichika, though he rushed back out immediately, swinging down again, and this time, the blade went straight through Aiden's beam blade.

"What!?"

"This sword of mine can go through beams if I hit it just right. So, how much more useful is that going to be for you?"

"Ggh… I have to use that weapon don't I?"

Aiden's right rifle vanished, and on the arm a small black shield formed, and a metallic blade formed on it was well. The blade flipped out and locked into place in a forward position, and Aiden charged forward, clashing with Spectra as Ichika circled his enemy.

"So, you had a little trump card hidden up your sleeve eh?"

"Considering you were in Project Midnight you should know about this IS a bit!"

Spectra snickered and their melee started again, and eventually, Ichika and Aiden were thrown off by their opponents, slamming into each other and standing up shakily as their enemies stepped towards them.

"Aiden, what do we do now?"

"Give me a few more minutes… my IS is still analyzing these two…"

Aiden panted as the data streamed over his visor, his eyes flying between keeping track of Spectra and the data stream.

_There has to be some way out of this… And Midnight Swallow can find it!_

Up above in the control center, Chifuyu and Maya were watching the battle on the monitors, and so far, it was just a stalemate.

"Two unidentified IS have been detected in the locker room!"

"I knew they'd come on the day of the school festival, but who'd have thought it'd be just one of them? Though Spectra was unexpected, but, Aiden has the skills to deal with him… at least I hope so. Miss Yamada, watch out for enemy reinforcements. Tell all the general students to evacuate."

"Understood!"

Maya got to work immediately, linking up with the PA system.

**Arena**

"Whew! Finally got away! Damn that Dunois can run… and she's doing so in a _dress! _Crikey this place is insane!"

Travis was leaning on a wall trying to catch his breath.

"Man, where'd Aids go? He was here one second then Laura pops up and he's gone the next!"

"TRAVIS!"

"GAGH! HOW'D SHE FIND ME!?"

Travis shot off, tripping over a piece of rubble and rolling down into the rubble strewn lawn like area.

"Oww…"

"Jacobson, have you by chance seen Aiden around?"

Travis opened an eye to see Laura looking down at him with her hands on her hips, her knives thankfully hidden.

"No I have not. He just up and vanished on ya?"

"Yes, and I haven't been able to find him _anywhere. _I swear, he is far too elusive."

Travis stood up with a shrug, and he flinched when he heard Charlotte yell again.

"SOMEONE HIDE ME!"

"What are you yelling about now Travis?"

Houki popped up with Cecilia and Rin.

"JUST MAKE SURE CHARLOTTE CAN'T FIND ME! SHE'S LOST IT!"

"TRAVIS! QUIT HIDING! I HAVE A FEW THINGS TO SAY TO YOU!"

"AGH!"

Travis' surprising screech was cut off when Charlotte tackled him to the ground.

"I'm telling you I don't know what I did!"

"You know perfectly well what you did!"

The other girls just had odd looks as Charlotte started twisting Travis' arm.

"He's not that tough is he?"

"IT'S BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE FIGHTING GIRLS!"

"And why would that be!?"

"YEOW! REASONS ONLY ANOTHER GUY COULD UNDERSTAND! IT FEELS WRONG! AND STOP OR ELSE YOU'RE GOING TO PULL MY ARM OUTTA ITS DANG SOCKET!"

"Is this supposed to be a lovers spat?!"

The other four just tilted their heads in confusion, and everything grew silent once the alarm sounded.

"Two unknown IS have been detected in the locker room and are currently engaged in battle with the Byakushiki and Midnight Swallow."

Everyone's eyes widened at that message.

"All students with personal IS' must deploy and stand by!"

"Uh… Char… please let me up now…"

Charlotte growled and let go of Travis, and all six present deployed their IS', and Chifuyu began relaying orders.

"Alcott and Fang, you two go on patrol!"

"Roger!"

Cecilia and Rin took off.

"Shinonono, Dunois, Bodewig, and Jacobson are too support Orimura and Freeborn! Go to the locker room!"

"Understood!"

"Alright, we're on our way Aiden!"

Travis readied a weapon as he and the other three dashed off. Back in the locker room, Aiden was clashing blades with Spectra again and again, and Ichika was back to moving in a circle to avoid fire by dashing behind cover without stopping.

"Aiden, you done with that analyzing yet!?"

"Just a bit longer! Pay attention to your enemy's movements! Man, it's hard to do this and fight at the same time… especially since those IS units are unregistered in the database…"

"Don't hold back 00! You need to make this interesting!"

"Shut up!"

Aiden threw Spectra back, sending his enemy flying into the lockers, and he flipped the blade back, firing on multiple blasts that Spectra deflected.

"Now I'm getting to see the strength behind you and that IS! Still… there's something missing from it… a certain element…"

"What are talking about!?"

Aiden clashed blades with Spectra again, and the other pilot smirked as the lights went out due to the other pilot's fire, and this time, Aiden smirked.

"Now we're in my element."

Spectra's eyes widened when Aiden seemed to vanish, his IS seeming to contract.

"Where did he go… gyagh!"

Spectra started getting hit from all over and he couldn't get a read on where Aiden was until the secondary lights turned on, and he caught sight of the shadow that Aiden had turned into.

"Gotcha!"

Aiden flinched when Spectra swung, and he was sent flying again, colliding with Ichika as the latter was hit by the Arachne web, and the two were caught in it.

"Dammit… we're both caught…"

"Hahaha… man 00, you just had to screw up!"

"Are you… with Phantom Task!?"

Spectra and the Arachne pilot looked at each other shortly, and both laughed.

"No… though I am an ally of theirs."

"Enough talk you two. Let's take these kids out. They were fools to go at us head on."

"I'm not much older than them you know."

It doesn't matter."

The Arachne pilot began weaving the webs, and Aiden growled as he and Ichika were lifted up.

"Don't think I didn't have a plan for this… DEPLOY BLADES!"

The Midnight Swallow burst into bladed sections, cutting through the webbing and freeing Aiden, who pulled back as the blades closed.

"Heh, that IS is just one big blade isn't it 00? Pah… Arachne, finish up with what you've got… I'm not done with him."

"Hahaha! Time for some entertainment!"

The pilot stuck a device on Ichika and it began to electrocute him.

"Orimura!"

"Pay attention 00!"

Spectra swatted Aiden aside again, but Aiden flipped back onto his feet.

"Damn… using the stealth function isn't going to help now…"

"Hehehe… sorry 00, time for you _and _Orimura to die.

"That would be a problem, because these two are my favorites.

"Oh goddammit… I was worried she'd show up…"

Up on some of the rubble, Tatenashi was looking down at the scene, and she gave Aiden her usual grin.

"Nice to see you didn't get caught like Ichika."

"What, did you expect less of me!?"

"Hmm hmm… always so fuuny when you get emotional."

Aiden growled and stood up.

"Where the hell did you come from!? I thought all the systems were locked?!"

"Guess this one's a little different."

"I'm the student council president of this school, therefore I behave like one!"

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Wait…"

Spectra seemed a little concerned, but, the other pilot didn't seem to notice.

"Take this!"

"Hold it!"

The Arachne pilot threw an IS arm forward, and Tatenashi was seemingly impaled, and Aiden growled.

"Sarashiki, quit fooling around!"

Ichika looked at Aiden in surprise when the child soldier stood up, flipping out his blade.

"You… show no reaction!?"

Tatenashi chuckled and her form collapsed into water. Aiden shook his head and sighed.

"Jeez, you really had to do that did you?"

"Hmm hmm… you know me well enough now? I feel flattered."

"Can you just quit getting close to boasting? I finished my analysis on their IS'."

"Hmm hmm, you really do deserve your position as one of the Academy's strongest."

Tatenashi smirked as the data Aiden had collected gathered on her HUD as her opponent turned towards her.

"Wait… were you holding back!?"

"Heh, you did mention that I was the perfect result. That would mean you don't know all my skills."

Spectra growled, and Aiden punctuated this by letting his visor and helmet draw back, the section falling across his shoulders like a hood.

"Midnight Swallow! Release mode!"

The Midnight Swallow opened up again, steam exiting it.

"Burners activated… releasing built pressure… engage Overclock!"

A bluish aura surrounded Aiden, and Tatenashi's smirk fell away.

"Aiden, you deal with the Muramasa. I'll handle the Arachne."

"Heh, alright… just don't get cocky like you did during our last sparring match."

Ichika felt confused. Normally, Aiden couldn't stand Tatenashi, but now it seemed that during combat, he was fully willing to work alongside her.

"Those two are really strange…"

Ichika watched as Tatenashi blocked the Arachne's fire with a water shield, and Aiden almost seemed to vanish in a blur, Spectra being slammed from all angles again.

"Dammit… that thing has more hidden functions!? Is that some kind of one-off!?"

"Sort of. Overclock is a subsystem I can activate once I've taken enough hits and the burners in the machine have built up enough pressure. Once I release it I get a temporary boost in power that exceeds anything you'll ever see!"

Aiden kicked Spectra aside and straight into the wall, and the other pilot roared as he streaked back out, locking blades with Aiden again.

"You aren't the only one with hidden systems… ENGAGE HELLFIRE!"

The single wing on Spectra's IS opened up like when Aiden used HiMAT, and red thruster flames shot out and engulfed the IS and its sword.

"You may be fast, but I have a boost in attack power! See if you can keep up with it!"

"Attack power means nothing if you can't catch me."

"Well, what about your little friend?"

Aiden looked over to where Tatenashi was pinned, and he snickered as he swatted Spectra back again.

"You really are underestimating us aren't you? Man, you people have a lot to learn."

Spectra smirked himself when an explosion rung out, and he laughed.

"Underestimating? I think we knew just how strong you guys are!"

Aiden sighed.

"Well, I would say you're wrong… but really Sarashiki did you have to leave your IS inactive? That's cocky of you."

Spectra turned around, spotting Tatenashi in the smoke.

"Just let me handle this, Ichika, Aiden."

Aiden rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so cocky!"

The Arachne pilot charged forward and grabbed Tatenashi, and Spectra charged again, clashing blades with Aiden.

"Looks like this is the end for you two."

"And then you're wrong again. Isn't it a little hot in here? Humidity wise."

Spectra's eyes widened when Aiden smirked again, and he looked around, noticing all the steam.

"Sarashiki's IS control's water… don't think it's limited easily. Now, maybe your partner will realize what's going on. And you'll see that I got the upper hand/ I found a weak point in that IS' armor when I analyzed it. Might want to fix that."

Spectra's eyes widened and he looked down, finding Aiden's IS combat knife in a chink in his armor, and one that he was hoping wouldn't be hit. Spectra growled as his IS started malfunctioning, and he reeled back as the same happened to the Arachne, but for a different reason, and the two enemy IS' crashed into each other as the mist revealed the Mysterious Lady deployed again, and the Midnight Swallow's Overclock ended, shifting back to its normal form.

"No way… this isn't over yet!"

"Oh, it's already over. Right, Ichika?"

Ichika, now free, had his own blade raised and Aiden his, the two on opposite ends facing their enemies, and they both charged, colliding with the two. Spectra actually ran off, bursting out and retreating through a hole in the wall as Ichika rammed his target into the wall.

"Damn coward."

"Ichika, Aiden, head after them!"

"Okay!"

"Don't give me orders. Besides, I was doing that anyway!"

Aiden followed Spectra out into the arena, where the others IS was jerking.

"Damn… he damaged this thing too much…"

"Spectra!"

Before Aiden could slash, a black blast of energy stopped him, and Aiden looked up, seeing a blue IS floating above a hole, and it was like a mirrored version of the Masamune Reborn.

"What in the!?"

The blue and white IS landed, the targeting visor pulling back, and its pilot looked exact like Aiden!

"What the… w-who are you!?"

"Heh, you could say I'm your brother… subject 01, codename Kyrios, pilot of the IS Masamune Valkyrie."

"Enough Kyrios… let's get out of here…"

"Hmph… what about Arachne and Zephyrus?"

"Ignore them for now…"

Kyrios shrugged and his visor closed, but, he smirked, firing off a blast, nailing Aiden and sending him flying back for a moment.

"You might want to help out your friends, brother. KAHAHAHAHA!"

Spectra and Kyrios flew off, and Aiden's eyes widened.

"Zephyrus!? No way!"

Aiden shot off, going right past Tatenashi.

"Aiden hold it!"

But it was too late. Aiden had shot up, but only just in time to see Ichika locked in combat with the Silent Zephyrus, and he zoomed in in the Masamune units a distance off.

"Dammit…"

Aiden turned towards Silent Zehpyrus, and he growled.

"Help Ichika or go after those two? Dammit… which one do I do?"

Aiden's eyes widened when a massive long range blast came out of nowhere and slammed into him, his shield energy plummeting like a rocket, and he went crashing through the roof.

"Aiden!"

Travis flew up while the girls kept Arachne in place, catching his friend.

"Man, you're like a brick, y'know that?"

"Let me go Travis… I have to go after them!"

Aiden threw his arms out and got himself free, shooting back out, but, he was smacked aside, but, he spotted the body of the Arachne.

"Dammit… it's a bomb! Look out!"

Aiden rushed forward since he was closer, slashing through the IS body as Ichika charged down, and the explosion blasted everyone near it. When Aiden opened his eyes, he felt someone holding his back up, and Ichika was propped up next to him, and their IS' were inactive.

"You alright Aiden?"

Tatenashi's voice in his ear made Aiden turn a bit, and he sighed.

"It'd take a lot more than that to finish me off. And I'll say it now. You Russians are crazy."

"Hmm hmm… you American's aren't much different. Really now, showing off your Overclock and rushing in like a reckless idiot? You're a bit different than at the beginning of the year."

"Whatever… how're the others?"

"They're fine. She only made their equipment and armor explode."

Aiden let out a relieved sigh. At least nobody was hurt. Well, other than the blistering pain Aiden felt all over, an after effect of using Overclock.

"Now… um… if you wouldn't mind…"

"Hm?"

"Could you _please _let go of me!"

Tatenashi giggled and just gripped tighter, making Aiden yelp.

"I mean it! Using Overclock leaves me crazy sore all over!"

"Excuses are unmanly… so… how does it feel when I press up against you like this? Hmm?"

"I'm not answering that…"

Aiden sighed again when Tatenashi giggled, and he looked up.

_Another result of Project Midnight and another Masamune unit… alongside Phantom Task things are going to be getting hairy… I need to tell Ms. Orimura about this… but… there was something odd about the Masamune units… I just can't shake off the idea that there's something weird with them that I recognize…_

**Hideout**

"Why did you come in Kyrios!? I could have gotten out of there myself!"

Spectra was raging at Kyrios, who was now wearing a black cloak over his pilot suit like Spectra, twirling a small, blue colored wrist band on his fingers. All in all the only thing making Kyrios different from Aiden was the fact his hair was completely white like Spectra's.

"With the condition the Reborn was in, you wouldn't stand a chance against 00 and his Midnight Swallow. None of us here would."

Spectra growled and looked to the side. He really needed to vent his anger on something, and Kyrios just chuckled.

"Calm down Spectra. Seeing you so angry is a shame. It ruins the impression you give off."

"Revan!"

Spectra's looked brightened as their leader entered the room, though this one's face remained partially hidden, but, he obviously had the same crystal blue eyes as the others.

"Spectra, go take the Reborn down to maintenance so it can be repaired."

"Yes sir!"

Spectra left immediately as Revan sat down, his face coming into view from the shadows, and he looked just like the former, albeit, a bit older looking and he had a scar running over his face along with having pulled his hair back.

"Ha! He's all too eager to please you isn't he?"

"Hmph, I am his older brother. So, what was it like when you met 00, hmm?"

"Heh, it was interesting. Though it was a shame he was worn out, I wanted to be able to fight him more."

"You'll get your chance Kyrios, I'm sure of it. Just give it some time. Though now I have to talk with Squall about Spectra… sheesh, those women are troublesome."

"They are skilled pilots though. Still, the fact being that Orimura's little brother, 00, and whoever that Aussie is are no longer the only male IS pilots in the world will spark news once we make our entrance, right, Revan?"

Revan nodded and snickered quietly.

"Yes… the organization created by the cast out results of Project Midnight and their experimental Masamune units… Eclipse Blades."

Kyrios snickered, a grin of his own spreading on his face.

"A shame 00 had his memories sealed away through that damn conditioning. Well, guess we can just give him reminders."

**IS Academy/Aiden and Travis' Room**

While Travis was sleeping, Aiden was working on his computer, going through the data he'd collected on the Masamune Reborn and the brief amount he'd gotten on the Masmaune Valkyrie.

"Something about those is familiar to me… but what?"

Aiden scowled a bit, then he pulled the two imaged of the IS units together, and they fit together like two puzzle pieces.

"It's like the Midnight Swallow… but… parts missing… it's like they're only two parts… then… is there a third Masamune? But… who'd be the pilot? And… why can't I remember if they are any other subjects besides me?"

Aiden leaned back and looked at the ceiling, letting out a sigh.

"More mysteries hmm?"

"GWAGH!?"

Aiden shot up when Tatenashi appeared behind him, and she ignored the fact he was trying not to yell, leaning over his shoulder and looking at what he'd put together.

"Well, now that's interesting. Is that from the data you gathered?"

"What else? And what are you doing here?"

Tatenashi chuckled and flicked down the pocket watch from earlier.

"What the heck?"

"I swiped this earlier today!"

"Oh really, then care to explain why Bodewig was attacking me trying to get the thing?"

Tatenashi sat down on the desk.

"I told her and Dunois that if they could get this and the crown Travis had I would switch them around so they could bunk with you two. They were rather enthusiastic about it, though I had no idea Dunois was angry with Travis."

"Yeah, she's definitely going to find a way to sort out his Casanova attitude."

"But, I said if they could get a hold of it, and the same went with Ichika."

"Don't tell me…"

"Relax… though I very well could since I'm the student council president."

"You just love teasing me don't you?"

Tatenashi laughed quietly and Aiden rolled his eyes.

_Guess this is gonna be school life for me, isn't it?_

**A/N**

**Hehehe… I was waiting to get to this point. Now for the votes!**

**Laura: 13**

**Tatenashi: 4**

**Both: 1 (I was surprised with this one)**


	11. Chapter 9

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chaoter 9: Weirdest. Date. Ever.**

Aiden opened his eyes, gald he wasn't sore anymore. When he tried to sit up, he noticed something had a hold on him. A tight hold.

"What the heck?"

Aiden lifted the blanket, and his eyes widened immediately.

"GAAAGH!? WHAT THE HELL!?"

Rather sleepily, Laura work up and released her hold on Aiden, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, and the main problem here was the the only thing covering her was the blanket.

"Hmm… morning already?"

"BODEWIG WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM!?"

"Hmmm? Last I checked there aren't supposed to be secrets between a couple, and I was making sure that the student council president didn't pull anything."

"Couple!? What the hell are you going on about!? Ggh… look, I don't care much… but, one: Since when were we a couple? And two, _WHY IN HELL ARE YOU NAKED!?" _

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes there's a problem!"

Travis just mumbled a bit and rolled over in his sleep.

"How did he sleep through that… whoa!"

Laura nabbed Aiden's arm and pinned him down, chuckling all the while.

"It seems you need to vork on your hand to hand combat!"

"I don't need to work on anything! You just caught me off guard! Now let go I'm still recovering, goddammit Laura!"

"Don't use that as an excuse!"

Laura just yanked harder and Aiden growled, yanking his arm up, Laura along with it. After a tumble which resulted in falling to the floor with Aiden's head slamming down hard.

"Owww…. Uhh…."

Aiden's face actually flushed when Laura rubbed her head, having landed on top of Aiden, and their current position was rather awkward.

"Pwagh! Uh… ummm…"

"What the heck… uh… Aiden… Laura… what are you two doing?"

Aiden and Laura looked at Travis, who was scratching his head, but then the other boy gleaned a smirk and snickered.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!?"

"Nothing, nothing at all…"

"Why you… this is gonna cost you!"

Aiden pushed Laura off and tackled Travis to the ground, putting the other boy into submission hold by wrenching his arm and a leg back.

"I GIVE I GIVE!"

"Prove it!"

Laura sighed as Aiden kept yelling and Travis practically shrieked.

"And I was so close too… ohhh…"

**Later/Hallway**

"I'm telling you Travis, nothing was going on. I woke up and Laura was there. I checked the lock and she'd tampered with it."

"Hey, I'm just saying dude, it's pretty obvious she likes you."

"Come again?"

"Wow… you're just as bad as Ichika was until we got him with Houki…"

"Eh?"

"Nothing."

"Aiden!"

"Craaaap!"

Aiden turned around, and there yet again was the usual crowd of girls who'd chase him, and he was about ready to dash off when they got close.

"Hold it right there ladies!"

The crowd stopped, and Tatenashi walked through.

"Sarashiki? What in the hhhmmmmmph!"

"HUUUUUH!?"

Everyone present (besides Travis, who didn't seem surprised) let out a gasp when Tatenashi pulled Aiden down and kissed him straight on. After what seemed like the longest minute in history, Tatenashi pulled back and walked off with a wink, the crowd gawking as the student council president walked by.

"What just happened?"

"Are they together?"

"I never would have thought…"

"It would make some sense… Aiden is one of the Academy's best…"

Travis chuckled and grabbed the stunned and stuttering Aiden by his scarf, dragging him to class.

"Come on. We gotta get to class."

**Classroom**

Ichika tapped Travis on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, Travis, whats with Aiden? He's been quiet all day. Heck, he hasn't even answered a single question all day."

"Hehehehe… would you believe me if I told you Tatenashi kissed him right in the middle of the hall in front of a bunch of the girls who are after him?"

"Huuuh!? She did _what!?" _

"You heard me. Guys been stunned silent since it happened."

In the back of the room, Laura gripped the pencil she had so hard that it broke from the pressure. She definitely didn't like hearing that. Travis needed to learn to be a bit quieter.

_She is going to pay for that… _I _was supposed to be Aiden's first kiss! Not someone else!_

Some of the other girls flinched when they could _feel _the anger radiating from Laura.

"Scary…"

Ichika and Travis looked back, and Travis smacked his forehead.

"Dangit… forgot she was here and listening. Look mate, the guy has both Tatenashi and Laura arfter him… things ain't going to be resolved easily…"

"You're right… I feel kinda sorry for the guy."

Travis nodded and the two looked over at Aiden, who was tapping on his desk with that blank look back on his face.

"Well, he's a big boy, he can deal with it himself. Hopefully… but… I think…"

"Hold it Travis. If you're going to say I should take Houki on a date then hold your tongue. If you do suggest it, then you have to go with me and take Charlotte with you. And I already asked."

"Huh!? In case you didn't notice she tried to _kill _me the other day! And wait, you _asked _her yourself!? Wow… I'm impressed…"

"Only because you ticked her off. Don't think I don't hear rumors and conversations. We're stuck in a school full of girls, word gets around fast. And don't take me lightly. I mean, come one, it's been a few weeks.."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. And, well, took you long enough."

Travis was looking to the side, and Ichika sighed.

"And before all this I was the one who was being an idiot. Heh…"

**Lunchtime/Roof**

The usual group was on the roof, though Aiden was missing, and no one knew, but, Laura already had an (incorrect) idea.

"He's probably off with that Sarashiki… I'm going to kill him!"

"Laura… I don't think that what you're thinking is going on… Aiden's not that kind of guy…"

"And how vould you know Charlotte!?"

Charlotte just raised her hands a bit and chuckled. It was kind of hard to get Laura to calm down at these times. Ichika nudged Travis, who grumbled a few curses in English, crossing his arms.

"Uh… Charlotte… um… it's kinda close to the weekend… and… um…"

"Charlotte shot around and immediately looked Travis in the eye, an expectant look in her eyes.

"Yes?"

"Uh… w-would you… uh… like to… I dunno… go see a movie with me or something? If you want to… I… I won't be offended if you say…"

"Yes! Yes I will!"

Travis looked surprised when Charlotte gleaned a determined look and got a bit too close, getting some laughs from the others, especially when Travis lost his balance and feel back.

"Wow… that's actually the first time this has happened… eh heh… awesome…"

"Wait what!?"

"Eh heh… I act the way I do cause I think it looks cool… I'm a little awkward actually…"

Charlotte giggled when Travis got a sheepish look. Now she could really get to work on bringing out the real Travis.

"Finally he admits to the act. Haha!"

Travis glared at Ichika, but he smirked when Aiden walked out of the door.

"Took ya' long enough mate! Where you at!?"

"Talking with Ms. Orimura. I had to tell her some things regarding the last battle we had."

Aiden pulled out the PDA he had and started typing away on it, and Laura let out a relieved sigh.

"He was just talking with Mentor Orimura… good…"

"Eh?"

"Nothing! I didn't say anything!"

Aiden raised an eyebrow when Laura wigged out, looking around at everyone as they quietly chuckled.

"What?"

"Seems someone's oblivious."

Aiden sighed and hung his head.

"What the hell is going on?"

**Saturday/Ichika's room**

"So let me get this straight, you two are taking Houki and Charlotte out on a double date tommorrow, and you want _me _to run reconnaissance? For _what!?" _

"Just in case Phantom Task or that other guy try anything."

"Who's working with me?"

Travis and Ichika looked at Aiden with surprise.

"That was quicker than expected…"

"Laura. You're working with Laura."

Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"You set this up didn't you? It's not recon, you set me up on a date with Laura!"

Ichika and Travis looked between each other as Aiden crossed his arms.

"Damn… I didn't think he'd figure it out."

"Yeah… I didn't see that coming… bloke is hella smart thought…"

"I CAN HEAR YOU! And I'm not going. You guys are dragging me down somewhere I don't want to go."

"Hagh… Aiden, it's about time you learned how to be a _normal _teenager, and this is part of it mate! At least your personality has gotten better over the past while, a bit. Least you're not being a blankfaced deadpanner anymore."

Aiden looked to the side.

"The only problem is I don't have anything else besides my school uniform and the old one I would wear."

"You're kidding me…"

"You seriously don't have any other outfits?"

"No…"

Travis smirked again.

"Well my friend, guess it's high time we find you something else to wear! Ichika, this we're heading to the mall this afternoon! Let's go Aiden!"

"HEY HOLD UP!"

Travis grabbed Aiden, and Ichika sighed, letting out a chuckle as he followed.

**Mall/Boys shop**

"Alright, we need to find something you'd look cool in… hmm…"

"Travis, I don't get why you're the one looking if _I'm _the one these clothes are for… hmm?"

Aiden's gaze locked on one of the display outfits.

"Hmm? See something you like?"

Travis turned around with Ichika. The outfit Aiden was looking at had a dark jacket that sat rather loose over a blue button down and shirt and worn looking jeans.

"So he likes that look?"

"Never took Aiden for the type of guy who'd like that style."

"Guys, help me find an outfit like this in my colors!"

Aiden shot around, and the other two boys sagged their shoulders.

"And what would those be?"

"Think of the colors on Midnight Swallow."

Aiden adjusted his visor with a small little grin.

"You guys want me to act like a normal teenager, so I chose something that goes against the regulations drilled into my head! But, if I am going on this thing then I'll need to keep my guard out. Can't let myself get snuck up on. Gonna need to find a way to hide my knives…"

"Not surprised he's still using military logic."

"Guess he's never going to get away from that. Alright then! Let's get to looking!"

After a while, the boys had found what Aiden was looking for: a black short sleeved button down with a blue stripe on the ride side, a blue shirt to go under that, dark jeans, and some white and blue sneakers for him to wear since he only had his boots, and he'd added a couple things like two loose wristbands with the same black and blue coloration on his right wrist and even a white watch on his left wrist.

"Heh, this is actually kinda nice. Much more comfortable than the unifroms I always had to wear before now."

"I get the feeling you never got a lot of times to choose stuff back at that military base huh Aiden?"

"Eh… no not really. I mean, the time your sister was there was one of the few times I got past regulation. She was actually the one who gave me this scarf… it was… sort of a birthday gift, the only one I've gotten, so I haven't taken it off except when it needs to be washed."

Ichika's eyes widened as Aiden sat next to him. Aiden did seem to know Chifuyu quite a bit, and his older sister did seem to have a bit of a soft spot for the kid at times like she did her brother.

"Hahaha! We were all wondering where you'd gotten that scarf. Who'd have thought you'd have gotten it from Chifuyu… but, when was she in America?"

"A couple years ago, around the same time she was training Laura. That's actually why Laura knew about me a bit."

"Huh, that's pretty neat."

"Yo, Aiden, this one work?"

Travis came back holding a jacket that seemed like it would be a little large on Aiden, and it was a dark grey color with red stripes on each arm and fur lined cuffs and hood, and Aiden nodded.

"Yep, that one works."

"Well then put the thing on and let's get ready for tomorrow! We've got a triple date to go on!"

Aiden chuckled as he slipped on the jacket, and all three boys put their fists together in the center.

"Man you guys drag me into the craziest stuff… but, why not!"

**Sunday/Monorail Station**

Aiden was waiting at the station, checking his watch periodically. He lowered his jackets sleeve after the last check.

"Ichika and Travis went ahead already, though there's an hour until the movie starts… and Travis said Charlotte informed Laura… man those two are devious."

Aiden put his arms behind his head, and Laura peeked out from around the corner.

"He looks way different like that… can I really do this?"

Laura was wearing the black dress she'd gotten before the year started along with the shoes Charlotte had picked, and she was honestly still getting used to those. The outfit was originally to impress Ichika, but, times had changed and so had Laura's target.

_He's here! Will he like this outfit? What if he doesn't? AGH! Just stop worrying about it!_

Laura turned back and took in a deep breath, clenching her fist.

"Alright! Time to start the mission!"

Laura stepped out, but immediately got timid again when she saw Aiden look her way and actually smile a bit.

"Took ya' long enough."

Aiden looked surprised himself as Laura shuffled her feet after walking over to him.

_Wow… she… looks pretty cute…_

"P-please don't stare like that… it's embarrassing."

"Oh, uh, sorry… it's just… uh… you actually look pretty cute… eh heh… man I am bad at this."

Laura's face reddned even further and she shot around, twiddling her fingers.

_He actually said I'm cute! He complimented me!_

"W-well thank you… uhm… y-you look nice as well… the look suits you…"

"Oh… uh… thanks… um… s-should we just get on the train and head into town then?"

"Y-yes… we should…"

The two awkward teenage soldiers quickly got onto the next tram, and the ride to the city was spent in silence, and when they got to the town, Aiden let out a sigh.

"For some reason I don't like the normal city chatter and ambiance."

"To be honest, I'd prefer it to be quiet."

"What, like the military bases? I left that behind. I'm never going back to that place again."

"Then where will you go once you leave the Academy?"

"Pff... I don't know… I just don't want to be associated with the people I was with before. But, enough negative stuff, we're supposed to be having some fun for a while."

"I thought we were going to be keeping track of Ichika, Houki, Travis, and Charlotte?"

"We will, but, we're not going to be sticklers. Come on, don't tell me you didn't want to look around the city a bit. We have thirty minutes until the movie anyway."

Aiden grabbed Laura's hand and started leading the silver haired girl along, and her face stayed red for quite a good time as they walked around and looked at the sights. After the time for the movie got closer, they managed to catch up to the other four they needed to follow, keeping just out of sight.

"Alright, they're going in. Ready Laura? Just think of this bit as a mission."

"I already vas! Let's get this started!"

"Hmm… alright!"

Aiden nodded, and he and Laura entered in for the same movie as the other four, and Aiden sighed when he saw what it was.

"A horror flick, time for me to be bored out of my mind."

"You don't like those movies?"

Laura asked this as she popped some popcorn into her mouth as they found their seats, staying well away from the target group.

"I think it's ineffective and cliché. All the soldiers at the base I stayed at had a night every week where we'd watch movies, and I never really like horror movie nights because I just don't get scared by them, and the military movies tend to suck."

"I can agree vith you on the last few points. Military movies tend to be inaccurate and stylized unless they are really trying to be accurate."

Aiden nodded as the movie started up, leaning on a hand, and, he forced himself to keep any comments to himself. At some of the parts where many people gasped, Laura actually started looking a little scared, and she inched as close as she could to Aiden, whose face went red when the girl grabbed onto him and shrieked at one point.

_You'd think this stuff wouldn't scare a girl like her… eh… Well, the other four seem to be having a good time… Charlotte hasn't let go of Travis since the movie started, and Ichika and Houki are way too awkward with each other… wonder if it was like the for them at the photo shoot they went to the other day._

Aiden chuckled, closing his eyes and letting a small grin form, though he quickly got an annoyed look when his right arm started going numb since Laura had an iron grip on him. When the movie finally ended and the light's turned on, some of the first ones to get out were Aiden and Laura, for reasons of course. They didn't want to be seen by the other even though the only one who had no idea was Houki. When they were outside, Aiden laughed a bit.

"W-what's so funny!?"

"Nothing. I just didn't expect you to get scared back there like that! It was kinda funny."

"S-shut up"

Aiden chuckled again, and he let out a breath and watched the mist rise. The night air was pretty brisk tonight. He looked down at Laara, and a warm grin appeared when he saw her shivering.

"Here, you've gotta be cold wearing that."

Aiden took off his jacket and dropped it on Laura's shoulders, surprising the girl.

"A-are you sure? You won't get cold?"

"I'll be fine Laura. I went through enough weather conditioning to be perfectly fine."

Aiden put his arms behind his head with a small shrug, and Laura pulled the jacket on his a bit more.

_It is warm… and it even smells like him… hagh… I could stay wrapped in this forever… _

As Laura got lost in her thoughts, Aiden looked back and swore he spotted someone who looked like Spectra in the crowd, but there was something different about this person. Aiden frowned a bit, but shrugged it off. Probably a coincidence. But, the next person he and Laura came across made him stop dead and ball his fists.

"What are _you_ doing here!?"

He yelled that in English, and the person he called out to turned around. It was a woman who could have been in her mid-thirties at least, and she bore a striking resemblance to Aiden with black hair going down to her waist, but, she had green eyes instead of the crystal blue Aiden did, but, Aiden did always say they were a result of whatever it was he went through. The woman was wearing simple street clothes, but, there was a certain air about her that spoke of a bit more. A smile spread on the womans face, and she ran over and hugged Aiden.

"My boy! I missed you so much… it's been five years…"

"Get back! Five years… yeah. Five years after you stood there and did nothing!"

Aiden pushed the woman back, and she looked shocked.

"Aiden…"

"I was _ten… _you have no idea what I was put through… what they made me become… five years ago… you had the chance to take me away from that… and…"

"Aiden… please understand… you were sickly when you were young… I didn't have a choice… I wanted to save you… I'm here because I heard you were in the IS Academy now and I wanted to see you again since they wouldn't let me see you or your brother… is he here too?"

_Brother?! What is she talking about?! Wait…_

Aiden's mind flashed back to the festival and when the Masamune Valkyrie showed up, and it's pilot: Kyrios.

_He looked exactly like me and called me brother… maybe…_

"I don't know anything about a brother… and any memories of you are hazy… look… if you are going to stop by… give me some time and talk to my old mentor first… I don't like surprises…"

The woman sighed with a sad look on her face.

"Alright… but… please be alright. I'll visit soon."

Aiden's fist tightened and he kept silent as the woman left and vanished into the crowd, and Laura looked at him with concern.

"Aiden… who was that?"

"That, Laura, was my mother… someone I haven't seen in five years since I was put into Project Midnight… and the worst part is I can't remember anything about her… only a name and a face come up… man, this night just got weird… Look… you want to head back?"

"Yeah… I think we should… tonight did just get weird…"

"Tell me about it…"

"H-hold on…"

"Huh?"

Aiden's eyes widened when Laura leaned up and, like Tatenashi had, kissed him straight on. Laura moved back after what felt like another crazy long minute, and her face was beet red, and she used the hood on Aiden's jacket to hide her face.

"Might I ask what that was about?"

"J-just go with it! You're mine and only mine! Understood!?"

Aiden chuckled and shook his head.

_She's going to be competing with Sarashiki… man my life is just crazy._

"A-and please stop referring to me by my last name. From now on I want you to call me Laura from now on."

"Hmph, alright then Laura. No more using your last name."

Aiden put his hand under the hood and ruffled Laura's hair a bit, and the girl smiled with an incredibly embarrassed look.

"No come on, let's get back before it gets late enough to where Ms. Orimura makes us run laps."

**A/N**

**I feel satisfied with this. Vote count!**

**Laura: 15**

**Tatenashi: 4**

**Both: 3**


	12. Chapter 10

IS: The Soldier and The Surfer

**Chapter 10: The Third Masamune**

**Aiden and Travis' room**

Aiden was going through more data on his computer with an analytic eye.

"The Masamune units weren't in the database… and putting the two shapes together makes a shape similar to my Midnight Swallow, but it's almost like a third of it is missing… which means there's a third Masamune unit… but… why do they look similar when put together?"

"Guess who!"

"GWAGH!?"

Aiden freaked a bit when his eyes were covered and Tatenashi's voice sounded in his ear.

"Tatenashi… what the hell are you doing? I'm a little busy!"

Aiden shot around, and Tatenashi jumped back, landing on the bed with a bit of a surprised look.

"Wait, did you just call me by my first name?"

"And?"

"You typically refer to people by their last names. I can presume this is a good sign for me?"

"I'm trying to… work out the kinks and act like a normal teen. I'm technically not a soldier anymore… besides, can't shut everyone out forever."

Aiden turned back around and got back to typing away, and he went rigid when Tatenashi pressed herself onto his back and put her arms around him.

"You need to relax a bit. There hasn't been any signs of an attack, so chill out, have some fun. I heard about your date with Laura the other day. How was it?"

"Part of me thought you'd be ticked off about that."

"Hmm hmm… not really… But, what is it you're working on?"

Aiden sighed, and his face finally stopped being red.

"Trying to figure out just why those Masamune units look like the Midnight Swallow when I place the diagrams together… but it's like a part is missing. But, when I went over the data, they had characteristics that Midnight Swallow has. I feel like I've seen them before… but I hit a wall after trying to think about it. It's like my brain is stopping me from remembering… ggh…"

"See, this is why I say you need to relax."

Tatenashi chuckled and spun the chair around, slamming the back of it against the desk and looking Aiden in the eye, effectively trapping him with her arms.

"As I said earlier… what the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to help you relax…"

As Tatenashi started inching closer, the door flew open and in came Ichika and Travis, who froze right as they were about to say a greeting.

"Ah, and things were just starting to get fun."

Aiden sighed and pushed the chair back to its normal position, leaning on the back with a bored look, a little annoyed that Tatenashi didn't move.

"Before you guys ask anything, please don't freak out. Laura would be majorly pissed off if she ran in here and saw… this… by the way, not my fault."

Ichika and Travis simply stared as Tatenashi waltzed out, winking at Aiden on the way, and the by just sighed again, spinning back to the computer.

"What was with that mate?"

"Yeah… that was pretty odd…"

Ichika and Travis looked at each other and smirked.

"So care to explain?"

Aiden's eye started twitching when the other two boys asked that with the most betraying tone ever.

"There's no explanation needed. Heck, I don't even know why she does that."

This got face palms from Travis and Ichika.

"Mate, it's like with Laura, she obviously likes you."

"I mean, come on, I know I'm kinda bad with girls but you make me look like a pro Aiden."

Aiden just huffed, pulling down his visor and going back to typing.

"Guess he's in work mode."

"Guess so."

"By the way, where the heck were you two?"

"We did tell you we'd be taking the girls out today right?"

"Guess I didn't hear it. Been busy trying to figure out what the hell is going on with these mystery IS'."

Travis hit his forehead and Ichika slammed his head against the wall, both thinking the same thing.

_There is something seriously wrong with him if that's all he's thinking about when he just had a girl in here._

Aiden meanwhile was having a different thought.

_Why is it that I feel like I know that Kyrios guy… I mean, he looks exactly like me, and then the eyes… he was definitely a subject, he said it himself… wait… wouldn't that mean that the Masamune units were experimental units in Project Midnight that eventually had their abilities combined to make the Midnight Swallow!? But… Spectra said something was missing from my IS… what was he talking about? Ggh… I need to talk to Chifuyu about this._

Aiden shut off the computer and lifted his visor, walking straight out, leaving the other two confused. A few minutes later, Aiden was knocking on Chifuyu's door, and the woman opened, peeking out a bit.

"What is it?"

"I have something I want to talk to you about regarding the Masamune units we encountered _along _with Project Midnight."

"Aiden, you know I can't tell you anything."

"Ms. Orimura I _have _to know! When I try to think of any of it myself everything just becomes blurry… and… the other night, I ran into my mother… even if I can't remember anything, she said that I was sickly as a kid… please… I need to know!"

Chifuyu looked at the boy for a moment, and she chuckled after a minute when she saw the light of determination in his eyes.

"Alright… but this _has _to stay between us. Be thankful that the Academy is protected from any and all organizations and nations."

Aiden nodded and Chifuyu let him in, sitting the boy down, and she started bringing up files on the desk screen.

"All of these are dossiers and files regarding you and the other subjects of Project Midnight, though the only file with any IS data is the one about yours. I'm sorry to say the Masamune units were kept a secret even from me, except for one anyway, and their pilots were all deemed failures and supposedly dead."

"But that's not true… two of them are alive… and maybe this last one."

"I can only guess it's true. Here's yours. And, so you know, that codename they gave you isn't really a codename. Aiden Freeborn is your real name. You were born in in Seattle in America on December 10th nearly sixteen years ago, and, you also had a twin brother named Gray."

"I met him the other day… I think… He goes by the name Kyrios and he pilots the Masamune Valkyrie. Our mothers first name is Aila… and that's all I remember about her besides her face…"

"Yep. And what she said about you being sickly as a child was true. I'm sure you noticed you're a decent size smaller than my brother and Jacobson. This had to do with the fact before receiving the augmentations, your body was very fragile, and after ten years, you didn't have long to live because of it."

Aiden's eyes remained firm, but his whole body was shaking. He may have been about the same height as Chifuyu, but considering his age, he was small when compared to Ichika and Travis, and he always did note that compared to the two, he looked fragile even though he could easily take the two down. His boy may be stronger on the inside, but outside, he still looked weak. Aiden started scanning through the two dossiers on him and Kyrios, and his brothers was stamped with "Failure" and "Not suitable for combat". That may have something to do with the fact that Spectra seemed a little on the crazy side… maybe the same went for Kyrios. But, both files held all the information about himself Aiden had previously thought to be redacted.

"So, because of that, when the government gave your mother the chance to save her children…"

"She took it… I still remember that first day I saw her after everything started… I've hated her since then because she had the chance to get me out of there… she has no _idea _what they put me through… I didn't act like it… but I know that deep down, I was yelling and screaming because I wanted to escape and leave all of it behind… but I just couldn't."

Chifuyu nodded and folded her hands.

"Aiden… after all this…"

"Don't ask that question… after learning this my plans haven't changed… but… after the IS Academy… I don't know what to do…"

"Don't think too far ahead. You'll find out as time goes by… so for now just focus on being a student here under me, like you were back then in Germany. To be honest, I'm glad to see they let you keep the scarf."

"Heh, I couldn't let the thing go. But… what about the Masamune unit you mentioned?"

"Right… enough being sentimental… this is the only Masamune unit we have data on other than what you gathered on the other two."

Aiden opened the file, and his eyes widened. Unlike the other two Masamune units, which had one wing, this one had none, but looked a lot like the lower section of the Midnight Swallow and it had the shoulder segments.

"Masamune… Origin…"

"It was the first unit created by project Midnight. As you can see, it doesn't have the wings, but, one thing it does have that the Midnight Swallow doesn't is an AI system that is meant to link with the pilot and be a companion of sorts… but, it proved to be volatile, and so, the feature was removed."

_That's what Spectra meant when he said my IS was missing something. The Masamune's have an AI in them… but it was left out of mine for being volatile… just what does it do?_

"Alright… thank you Ms. Orimura… if you could, can I get copies so I can read over more? I need a bit of time."

"That's fine. Take all the time you need Aiden. Besides, adjusting into society takes time, and that's definitely something you need… though the tag team tournament is coming up soon. Who did you plan on teaming up with?"

Aiden crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"I've uh… been a bit too busy trying to solve the whole Masamune thing that I didn't put much thought into it…"

"Sounds like something you'd do. Well, start thinking. I expect to see you perform well in the tournament."

"Yes ma'am."

Aiden nodded and left, letting out a sigh when he got out the door, and, after having waited, let the single tear he'd been holding back fall. He was glad to know what he did now, even if he couldn't remember anything else.

"That's quite a few mysteries solved in a short time… and I've found out about the third Masamune… but…"

"Who's it's pilot?"

Aiden snapped his head up in time to get pushed back against the wall, and he only saw a brief hint of light blue before Tatenashi kissed him by surprise again.

"I was making up for earlier."

Aiden's eye was twitching as Tatenashi said that after _finally _pulling back.

"DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO SURPRISE ME!? AT LEAST LAURA DIDN'T DO THAT!"

Tatenashi stuck her fan on Aiden's mouth, and the boy stopped yelling, though he was shaking a bit.

"Well, we're not in the same class, and you're often busy after classes, so I make up for not getting to spend a lot of time around you."

"You're kidding me right? You bust into my room like, every other day whenever Laura doesn't. And I find it weird I'm getting used to it."

"You are?"

"Don't get any ideas."

"Hmm hmm…"

"Let me guess… you heard everything…"

"Yep. Still, hard to believe you used to be frail. It's funny to think about."

Aiden crossed his arms when Tatenashi chuckled with that mischievous grin of hers, an annoyed look on his face.

"Whatever. Now you know. Not that it was much of a secret with some parts to begin with."

"You sound annoyed."

"WHY WOULDN'T I BE!?"

Tatenashi chuckled and changed her look, and Aiden had took a moment to process the serious affection in her eyes as she leaned in again.

_What the heck makes her like me so much?_

"AIDEEEEEEEN!"

Tatenashi pulled back when Laura yelled, and Aiden flinched as the silver haired girl charged with IS weapon out.

"Goddammit now look what you got me into!"

Aiden blocked with his own weapon as Laura swung down, a murderous look in her eyes.

"Looks like you're going to be my practice dummy for today Aiden… hahahahahaha!"

Tatenashi chuckled and ran off as Aiden pushed against Laura's blade.

"I'll let them have their lovers spat and have some more fun later."

"Yeesh Laura, calm down!"

"DON'T TELL ME TO STAY CALM! I TOLD YOU YOU'RE MINE AND ONLY MINE!"

Aiden leapt back as Laura broke the lock, skidding to a stop.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!?"

"CRAAAAAP!"

Both child soldiers shrieked when Chifuyu threw her door open and glared at them.

"Oh you're both going to get it now. Using your IS' inside the school like this… you're both lucky you didn't damage anything."

"WHY THE HELL AM I IN TROUBLE SHE ATTACKED ME!"

"**NO QUESTIONS! BOTH OF YOU ARE GOING TO BE RUNNING 100 LAPS AROUND THE SCHOOL **_**WITH **_**YOUR IS' AND NO BOOSTERS! UNDERSTOOD!?"**

"PERFECTLY MA'AM!"

"GOOD NOW GET GOING!"

The two teens shot off before Chifuyu could smack them with anything, panic in their eyes as the woman started chasing them.

**A/N**

**Tally time!**

**Laura: 17**

**Tatenashi: 4**

**Both: 5 (for some reason I like this idea the more I think about it)**


End file.
